Fox Tales
by laxplaya
Summary: A troubled teen gets infused with an ancient fox spirit, and now he must fight both criminals and himself, as he tries to cope with his destiny. This is not based off any book. This was the only category it would fit in.
1. A New Beginning

**Fox Tales**

Chapter 1  
"A New Beginning"

Meet Todd Reinhardt, an eighteen-year-old who, like anyone else his age, is having trouble discovering who he really is. He never had an easy life. His parents divorced when he was just four years old, he's been shuffled between both if his parents as they fought for custody over him, and he's always been jealous of her younger half-sister, Akane, who is a child prodigy, and is already a rising star in the political community at the age of fourteen. Simply put, he was an outcast to even his own family. Because he couldn't hold a job, no one could trust him to become responsible. He's been arrested for shoplifting three times, possession of marijuana, and has two DUIs. Somehow, though, he managed to either plead it down, or get the District Attorney to drop the charges. For Todd Reinhardt, life has had a wicked sense of humor.

Todd has never had an easy time making friends, but the ones that he has made are indeed an odd bunch of characters. First, you have Gary, a man who is an excellent lacrosse player, but always has trouble picking up ladies, probably because he always says the wrong thing at the worst possible time. Next is a man who is known by only one name, "Huff." When his name comes up, instantly, he's associated with his wild concerts and even wilder parties. Half the time, you keep asking yourself, "Is he high right now?"

To make matters worse, Todd has a lady in his life named Naomi, a sweet, innocent, and beautiful young woman who is always looking out for Todd. Why does it make matters worse? Todd can't stop thinking about her to save his life.

Because of his problems with the law, the police are on him like a sniper rifle from an expert marksman. Todd's always down to his last strike, worried that the police will arrest him for some bogus law only so they could put him in jail. This was a reasonable fear for Todd to have, since no one wants to have prison show up on his or her personal record. Todd has a deep resentment towards the police since on all his arrests, he was either framed, or at the wrong place at the wrong time. He claims that he never committed any of the crimes charged, but no one would believe him with a reputation like his. Only Naomi believes him, which gives him some of the trouble he has with her. He expected her to be judgmental, but she was forgiving. He still has yet to get over that.

To say "life was rough on Todd" would be an understatement. Confused and misunderstood, he carries on though, and manages somehow to get himself out of trouble, even though trouble is hot on his tail. What he doesn't know is soon, it'll be in more ways than one.

* * *

Todd was lying in his bed, pissed off that he had to actually get up for another day. He was having such a good time sleeping. It was so relaxing. But some idiot called Life decided to ruin it all. He looked around his room, covered from floor to ceiling, with posters of his favorite rock bands, curled back up in his bed, hoping that if he ignored reality, it might just go away. Reality, however, had a different idea. 

"Good morning!" his mother sang, disrupting Todd's state of relaxation. He thought to him self, _Damn it! I'm just getting comfortable, and that bitch has to come in and ruin it all._ He then mentally flipped her off. It was understandable. You know those people who are so happy it scares you? Well, Todd's mom was one of those people. She couldn't go three sentences with out singing the last part of it. Even she couldn't handle putting on this happy charade. Every three hours, she had to take a smoking break just so she doesn't go insane from doing this all day. No one was certain about this secret, but everyone was suspicious.  
"Time to get up, my darling."  
"What's the point?"  
"Oh, now don't be such a downer. Get up and attack the day!"

Reluctantly, Todd obeyed. He slowly walked over to the bathroom and looked at the mirror. His eyes immediately went toward his orange hair and what a mess it had become overnight. He sighed as he prepared himself to use the toilet. When he was through, he walked out the door and slowly moved toward to the kitchen, blinded by the lights. He prepared and ate a bowl of cereal, got dressed to him usual outfit of entirely black, and put everything in his backpack. His eyes then turned to a picture of him and his sister, Akane, taken ten years ago. It showed them both playing and smiling at the camera. "Why? How come she gets all the attention?" he softly asked himself. "Besides, how special can she be? She's a liberal." He mentally laughed at his own joke. Then, his mother barged in. "Ready to go?"  
"Whatever."

Todd arrived at the school about 15 minutes later, tired as hell. _The only that could possibly cheer me up right now is, maybe, seeing my friends. But that's a big stretch. _He opened the car door as his mother wished him a good day. Todd just brushed it off like it was nothing. _Damn, she's annoying! I don't know how the judge could stand her. _Todd walked into the school when he saw Gary, someone who was more than an acquaintance, but nowhere near "best friend." He was an excellent lacrosse player, a star defenseman for the defending state champion team. Gary always tried to hard to pick up a girl. Nine times out of ten, he'd sent them off angry by always expressing some sort of sexual innuendo.  
"Hey there, Todd!"  
"Hi, Gary," he replied in anything other than an enthusiastic tone. "Anything new going on?"  
"Well, I got a new defense pole."  
"That's nice."  
"Yep. It's nice to have something long, hard, and can poke people with. And the stick's not that bad either. OH!"

Todd just sighed, as this was exactly what kept him from landing a girl. Suddenly, he heard a raspy voice calling out for him. It was "Huff," a man who has been high on every illegal drug known to man, and then some.  
"Oh. Hi, Huff. What are you high on right now?"  
"Pot, and maybe some heroin. Yo, man. You gotta try shit. You'll go absolutely craaazy!" he said, referring to a roll of some sort of drug.  
"Why am I friends with him again?" Todd asked Gary. Gary whispered the reason in his ear. "Oh, yeah. That's right. I wonder what happened to that poor girl."

"Hey! Todd! Over here!" Todd turned his head to the right and saw Naomi waving her right hand, trying to get his attention. Boy, did it work? Todd's heart started beating faster than a piston in a racecar engine. It was beating so loudly that you didn't need a stethoscope to hear it. It nearly leapt out as she started running in his direction. "There's something wrong with that boy," Gary remarked.  
"Hi, Todd," she said followed by a soft giggle.  
"Hey there," he replied nervously.  
"Listen. There's this camping excursion in Japan being planned. I was thinking that you and I could go together. You know, get to know each other a little better, and…"  
"Uh, yeah. That's sounds great."  
"Good. So, is that a yes?"  
"Uh, sure."  
"Good. I'll call you with more information. See ya!"

Todd just stood there in amazement. He was completely speechless, and practically hypnotized. "Hello? Earth to Todd? Anyone in there?" Gary asked, waving his hand in front of Todd's face. It snapped him out of his hypnotic state. "What is wrong with you? Every time you see that Naomi, you fall into another world."  
"Dude, I know that feeling. I'm like that all the time," Huff said.  
"I just don't know what comes over me. I just can't seem to keep my mind off of…" He was interrupted when he realized everyone went to class without him.

Meanwhile, Naomi was sitting at her desk, explaining to her friends, Jasmine and Rachel, what happened. "So I asked him if he wanted to go to Japan with me, and he said 'yes'!"  
"Oh my god! That's so amazing!" Jasmine replied.  
"Wow!" Rachel said. "So, what are you going to do now?"  
"I don't know. I'm too excited to think about it!" Rachel and Jasmine giggled with her as class began.

After school, Todd walked out of the building and waited at the corner for his mother to come pick him up. He still couldn't quite get over what happened earlier that day. _I can't believe it. I'm going to Japan with Naomi. _The thought of it caused his heart to beat rapidly again. He had an odd smile on his face as his mother pulled up the minivan in front of him. "Well, someone's in a happy mood today," she said. Todd just ignored her. Once again, he was in a hypnotic state of bliss. He didn't get out of the van until it was three hours since he got home.

* * *

Remember the 3 R's: Read, Review, and Recommend. 


	2. Sorry' Won't Cut It

Fox Tales

Chapter 2

'"Sorry' Won't Cut It"

The idea of going on an expedition with the girl he had a crush on made Todd go through a euphoria he had never experienced. So many questions ran through his mind, though, as he laid flat on his back, on his bed. _I wonder what she thinks of me. Does she have a crush on me? Did she mean anything when she said, 'get to know each other a little better'? _Of course, he was so engulfed in happiness that he didn't realize he had missed all his favorite television shows.  
"Damn it! I was really looking forward to 'That '90s Show,' 'North Park,' and that documentary on how documentaries are made! If women are causing me this much trouble now…" He was interrupted as his mom shouted for him.

Todd came walking down the stairs when his mother wanted his attention. She had a frustrated look on her face. "Todd, Naomi's mother just called, and she tells me you're going to Japan over spring break. Is this true?" Todd was surprised of his mother's anger, because this was nothing like her to act this way.  
"Yes, it's true."  
"Well, I guess I'm just surprised that you would do something like this."  
_Trust me, so am I, _Todd thought.  
"I guess we should be using the next two weeks planning for this trip with Naomi," mom said.  
"Yeah, that makes sense."

Mom was looking over the latest mail, when she noticed a letter that brought a smile from ear-to-ear on her face. "Look at this, Todd. It's a postcard from Akane." Todd was surprised when that phrase hit his ears. "That's right. I forgot she's on that trip to Washington D.C.," he said. Mom read it aloud:

"Dear Mom,  
I'm having such a good time here in Washington D.C.! It was so amazing to take a tour of the White House. I didn't know one man could need so many bathrooms! I know that one day, I'm going to be living here. We also got to see Capitol Hill, Lincoln Memorial, and so many other cool places. I wish I had enough paper to tell you everything. I miss you, and I can't wait to see you when I get back.

Sincerely Yours,  
Akane."

Mom felt touched by the letter until she realized that Todd was not mentioned in the letter. It was only addressed to her. Now, depression fell on her. Todd was hurt as well. _I can't believe she didn't even worry about me_, he thought. _It's like I don't even exist to her anymore. Yet somehow, I'm not surprised that she didn't mention me. I guess she meant it when she said, 'I'll never forgive you for this.' _Todd then flashes back.

_It all happened about five years ago, yet it seems like it all happened yesterday. Mom, Gary, Akane, her friend Ruby, and myself all went to the park. Gary brought a lacrosse net and some sticks so we could play catch, and shoot some balls. I don't remember what Akane and Ruby were doing. All I know is that they were off somewhere. Akane got up and told Ruby, 'I have to go to the bathroom. I'll be right back.' Meanwhile, Gary and I were shooting at the net, or at least trying to. Very few shots made it in. Gary was trying so show off some of his skills. I was impressed, but he only got it right about one of every thirty tries, or so. It was my turn to take a shot. 'Watch me, Gary,' I said. As I followed through with the shot, the ball slipped and got away from me. Ruby got up and started walking in the direction of the ball. 'Ruby, watch out!' I shouted. She didn't hear me. The ball hit her on the side of the head, knocking her down immediately. We all rushed to her attention. There was a huge gash caused by the collision, with blood spewing everywhere. We called for help. The first thing Akane saw when she got out of the bathroom was the ambulance driving her best friend away. Ruby later died as a result of her injuries. Since then, Akane has blamed me for her death, claiming that she would never forgive me. This postcard is proof that she meant it._

It became obvious that Mom was thinking about the same thing. "I guess she still has a lot of resentment towards you, Todd," she said. "I sure hope that one of these days, she'll find the courage in her heart to forgive you, even though it wasn't your fault."  
"I don't know, mom. Every time I've seen her since the accident, she pretends like I don't exist. I don't know if she'll ever be able to forgive me."  
"Well, we can at least pray that she does."  
"I guess that's all we can do."

The next day, the routine repeated itself. Todd was sleeping cozily, reality has another idea, etc. Despite the fact that it was ironic after the memories he brought back yesterday, Todd decided still to go to Gary's lacrosse game, the final one before spring break. Only about a hundred people were in the grandstands, but it was still a record crowd for a lacrosse game at the school. A good time was still had, as the Devils defeated the visiting Spartans by a score of 16-11. After the game, Todd went down to talk with Gary who was sweating everywhere. Todd was able to bring him some Gatorade. "I don't get it. Why do I have to bring you Gatorade? You already have water," he asked."Do you have any idea how nasty that shit is?""Touché," he said as they walked toward the locker room where Gary would change. "Akane sent us a postcard yesterday."  
"Who's 'us'?"  
" My mom and I. Akane is in Washington D.C. right now."  
"Wow."  
"She sent us a postcard, and she didn't address it to me. She only mentioned mom."  
"Ouch, man. You mean she still hasn't gotten over it?'  
"No, she hasn't, and she probably won't."  
"That's rough, man. I can't believe she won't forgive you. She knows it wasn't your fault, right?"

Todd chose not to answer that question because he really didn't give a damn whether or not she did. Todd said his goodbyes when they reached the locker room. He had to walk home in 90-degree weather, with humidity so high, it ought to be illegal. _Speaking of high, I haven't seen Huff all day_,he thought. _Ah, screw him. _As soon as he reached home, he went straight for coldest soda, and headed up to his room so he could relax.

* * *

Remember the three R's: Read, Review, and Recommend 


	3. The Lacrosse I Bear

Fox Tales

Chapter 3

"The Lacrosse I Bear"

Two weeks went by since Todd and his mother received a postcard from Akane, and its effect wasn't promising. Akane still had a score to settle, of sorts with Todd for accidentally killing her then best friend, Ruby, five years ago. Whenever she came by for her monthly visitations, she never said a word to him, and was always happy to treat him to a cold shoulder. She's fully aware of what really happened that tragic day, but still puts every last bit of blame she can on Todd. Akane's trip to Washington D.C. ended, and she was back home, living with Dad two states away. Todd had his visitation with Dad while Akane was gone, just so she wouldn't have to treat him like a murderer. He only got two days rest before the big day finally came. He was going to Japan with the girl he had a deep crush on. _Oh my god! I can't fucking believe this, _he thought. _Naomi and I are gonna be together for an entire week. I haven't even begun to think about packing. Knowing Mom, she probably bailed me out. _

Meanwhile, on the northern side of town, Naomi was also getting anxious about the big expedition. _Wow! This week is going to be great with Japan, my best friends, and most importantly, Todd. Todd Reinhardt. _She then sighed with a blissful expression on her face. Todd and Naomi have known each other since the second grade. Even back then, both of them still got nervous when they saw each other. Both of them have deep crushes for the other, but they were the last two people to admit it. Personal pride gets in the way of showing true emotions. _I just know that this is going to be a magical week. I'm just so excited! _She then started daydreaming about what will happen when she and Todd a moment alone with each other:

_-Oh, Todd! Isn't this just the most romantic moment of your life?  
-It certainly is, Naomi. It certainly is.  
-You know, I've been thinking a lot lately about you and me, and how we've grown over the years we've known each other. I think you've become someone who any girl can trust, someone who will you a shoulder to cry on, or someone…_  
She was interrupted in mid-sentence when she imagined Todd suddenly kissing her as hard as he could. She could do nothing but fall into the moment.  
-_Naomi, just shut up and let me love you._  
In her dream, she fell in even more love as they kissed again and fell onto the sleeping bags. Her nirvana came to an end when her father kept asking her if she was ready to go yet.  
"I'm almost ready, daddy." She checked her hair, straightened out her clothes, and went off she went on her "daddy-daughter" date, and went to go see a movie.

On the Friday before vacation, at school, Todd had to present a project in front of the entire class. The assignment was that everyone had to give a presentation on what they did last Spring Break. Todd decided to show a video that Gary made. "My friend Gary and I made a bet while playing Texas Hold-em. It was the final hand of the night, and he had the idea to spice things up a bit. If I lost, I would have to play in an indoor lacrosse league. If he lost, he had to go to a rock concert. To make a long story short, I lost. Gary decided to add insult to injury, and tape a game. I got into a fight that day, in front of the camera. Gary thought it was funny to take the fight, and set it to MC Hammer's 'Can't Touch This,' for some odd reason. So, I'm going to show you a clip of that fight. I'm the one who gets slashed in the knee." (A/N: You get to see the video at YouTube. Search 'rocks lacrosse' under Videos, second on the list) After class, Todd's teacher, Mr. Langtry, called him over for a quick discussion. Having to talk to Mr. Langtry was bad, but hearing his monotonous voice was pure torture. (A/N: Bueller? Bueller? Bueller?)

"Todd, I must say you did a good job," he said.  
"Thanks, Mr. Langtry."  
"I would have given you an 'A,' if only it wasn't two days late. So, I'm giving you a 'B minus.'"  
_I guess that's not terrible, _Todd thought.  
"I wouldn't get too excited, Todd. You still have a 'D.' Have a nice break anyway."

Gary met Todd right at the front door of Todd's classroom. He had a snicker on his face from ear-to-ear.  
"So, how did it go?" he asked with a sinister tone to his voice.  
"Fuck you," Todd replied.  
"Hey, I don't swing that way. If you want to, that's totally fine. It's your life."  
Todd smacked Gary upside the back of the head in anger. "Can't you think about anything besides sex?"  
"No, not really."  
Todd sighed as both of them walked through the school's exit. _What am I gonna do with you, Gary? _he thought. Gary walked onto his bus and said his goodbyes. Todd stood at the curb, waiting for his ride to arrive. All of a sudden, someone jumped on him and locked his or her arms with Todd's. He gasped then took a deep sigh of relief when he realized it was only Naomi.  
"I got you, Todd," she said half-giggling. She was wearing a t-shirt with a green dragon printed at the bottom, which was appropriate for the big trip.  
"Hi, Naomi," Todd said unenthusiastically.  
"What wrong, sweetie?"  
"I'm sorry. I've just had a bad day today. It has been one big project after another."  
"You must be exhausted. Lucky for you, you'll be able to get plenty of sleep…on our flight to Tokyo!"  
_Oh, how could I forget about Tokyo? _he thought sarcastically.

When Mom went to wake up Todd for the 2:00 AM flight, she brought a pan, a bucket of water and an air horn because on weekends, Todd could sleep through the apocalypse. The joke was on her, though, as when she opened Todd's door, he was dressing himself already. It nearly gave her a heart attack.  
"How did you manage to get yourself up so early?" she asked.  
"Easy. The trick is not to fall asleep in the first place," he replied. "Don't worry. I'll get plenty of sleep on the plane. After all, it's a fifteen-hour flight."  
"That's right. It'll be about 9:00 AM Tokyo time tomorrow morning when you get there. You'll be traveling into the future," she said jokingly as she left put what she brought away.  
When she returned, she said, "Here's your passport."  
"I figured you've been bailing me out all week," Todd replied.  
"Well, you know you don't have a reputation for being responsible. Now, hurry up."

As Todd placed his suitcases in the back of the minivan, he had a hunch that this trip would somehow change his life. But the left as soon as it came. He got in the front seat, and prepared for the adventure of his life.

* * *

Remember the three R's: Read, Review, and Recommend. 


	4. A Son Only a Mother Could Love

**Fox Tales**

Chapter 4  
"A Son Only a Mother Could Love"

As the minivan pulled up to the parking lot gate, Todd was simply conked out. His occasional talking in his sleep would send a shock down his mother's spine because it would startle her while she was driving. The good news: Because it was 12:00 AM, parking was not an issue. The bad news: Waking Todd from his slumber, however, was.

"Todd, honey, wake up," she whispered. Todd swatted her away, smacking her square in the nose in the process. Mom was persistent, though. She thought she'd try something she used to do when Todd was a three-year-old.  
"Todd, G-E-T U-P," (A/N: That spells "get up," in case you were confused) she said, reaching another octave at the end, of course. That, however, did not work. Now, she tried something would give anyone nightmares. She whispered in Todd's ear, "President Hillary Clinton." Todd immediately shot up screaming at the top of his lungs, then he realized he knocked his mother down in the process. _I really need to start wearing a helmet for this,_ she thought.  
"Mom? I'm sorry, but Hillary Clinton running the free world?" he said. The thought made him shudder. (A/N: Wouldn't anyone? LOL)  
"Yeah, well, you could sleep through the end of the world, honey."  
_To me, Hillary Clinton becoming President is the end of the world,_ he thought.

Both of them walked through the entrance to the airport when Todd smelled something familiar. He looked to his right, and sure enough, it was Huff. You could smell pot on him a mile away. Huff noticed Todd was looking at him, and gave him one of those 'You didn't see nothing' looks. Todd just shook his head and decided not to ask questions. It didn't take long before Todd and Mom stopped in front of the big departures/arrivals board. Both of them scanned the board, and then Todd said, "C22." His mom had a perplexed look on her face as she turned to look at him. "That's the gate. C22," he explained.  
"Well," his mother said as she looked at her watch, "we still have an hour and a half. Let's check you in, and then we'll go get some coffee." Todd nodded in agreement. Even though there was no line, it still took 10 minutes to get through security because both of them kept setting off the alarm, and were thoroughly searched.  
"What in the world gave you the idea to wear trench coats?" Todd demanded as a male officer searched him.  
"I thought it might get chilly out there. Hey! Hands off down there!"  
"Sorry, ma'am," the female officer said.  
Todd rolled his eyes, as he couldn't believe his mother's stupidity.

After finally getting past security, Todd and his mother made their way towards gate C22. Walking through the hall was like walking into a ghost town. _I haven't seen this many empty seats since that time I went to see 7th Heaven on Broadway, _Todd thought.  
"Coming in for a pit stop, boys," Todd said as he veered off to the bathroom.  
"I told you to go before we left," Mom replied.  
"I did. I just have a bladder the size of peanut."  
Mom groaned as she turned around. Then she gasped when she saw her long time friend from high school, Rebecca.

"Rebecca? Rebecca Foreman? Is that you?"  
"Well, if it isn't Teresa Reinhardt. How long has it been? Twenty-two years?"  
"Yes, that's right. Twenty-two years. How come I didn't see you at the reunion?"  
"I had to go to my cousin's wedding. _I_ was the maid of honor."  
"Really? Wow!"  
"Speaking of weddings," she said as she showed off her new engagement ring. Teresa could only gasp in shock. She almost passed out right in front of Todd.  
"And who is this handsome young man?" Rebecca asked.  
"This is my son, Todd," Teresa answered.  
"Well, Todd, it's a pleasure to meet you."  
"Same to you, ma'am," Todd said.  
"So, what are you doing here at the wee hours of the morning?" Teresa asked.  
"I just dropped off my daughter. She's going to Chicago with a group. What about you?" she replied.  
"Todd is going to Tokyo for spring break." (A/N: Is spring break capitalized?)  
"Wow! Well, I'll tell you all about the wedding. What's you're number?"

Teresa and Rebecca exchanged phone numbers, and went their separate ways. Soon after, Todd made it to gate C22. Naomi greeted him, but "greeted" doesn't do it justice. "Trampled on" would be more appropriate. Mom could do nothing but just stand there in amazement as her son fell flat on his back. Todd didn't get back up immediately because the impact knocked the wind out of him. This made Naomi worry, but "worry" is an understatement.  
"Todd, please say something! Don't die on me!" she exclaimed very overdramatically.  
"Don't worry, Naomi. He just had the wind knocked out of him," Mom explained. "He'll be alright in about ten seconds."  
"That's ten seconds too long!" Naomi then attempted to perform CPR, but she stopped when Todd finally inhaled. After taking a few deep breaths, Todd was back to normal. He stood up with an irritated look on his face. Naomi was apologizing immediately, but Todd just said, "I'm too tired to be mad at you."

After checking in at the gate, Todd and his mom went to the convenience store inside the airport, and each bought a cup of coffee. Todd put creamer in his, and poured a ton of sugar along with it. His mother liked her coffee black. They found a small, round table they could have a small conversation at.  
"So, you're finally going out of the country," Mom said.  
"Yeah. I certainly am," Todd replied with an enthusiasm level that dropped with every letter that escaped his lips. A long silence followed as neither one of them had the courage to sat goodbye to the other. Finally, Mom broke the silence. "I thought this might come in handy for you," she said as she reached for her purse. "Its for whenever you get homesick over the next week." It was a photo of herself.  
"Mom, please," Todd said, sounding embarrassed.  
"There's nothing to be ashamed of, honey," she said softly. "Everyone gets homesick once in a while, and that includes you. I remember when you were eight years old, and you were on a Boy Scouts camping trip, and you called me each and every day. You always kept crying about how much you missed me and loved me." Todd just sat there with the palm of his hand on his cheek, and an unimpressed look on his face. "There's nothing to worry about. You are going to have a great time," she said trying to console her son.  
"Flight 2448 to Tokyo, Japan is now boarding," a female voice said over the intercom.  
"Well, that's you're cue," Mom said.

Both of them walked back over to the gate and went to the end of the line. When they got to the front, they hugged each other as hard as they could. Mom gave Todd a kiss on the cheek and said, "Be safe. I'll pray for you."  
"I'll miss you," he whispered. They gave each other another quick hug before Todd turned around, handed his boarding pass to the gate attendant, and walked down the plane runway. He turned his head and looked at his mother with a smile on his face, then turned it back around as the gate attendant closed the door.

* * *

Remember the three R's: Read, Review, and Recommend. (I'm not updating until the story reaches 25 hits)  
"Fox Tales" is 110 original, so don't steal it, or I'll unleash my team of lawyers on you. (lawyers behind me with evil grins) 


	5. Infusion or Illusion? Part I

Fox Tales

Chapter 5

"Infusion or Illusion? Part I"

After walking down the walkway that lead toward the entrance of the plane, Todd was greeted by the flight attendant, looked at his boarding pass, and tried to look for his seat. "Let's see. Row 24, seat A," he said. He started walking down the length of the plane, looking at the numbers marked on the sides of the aisle. When he approached row 20, he looked ahead and realized that fate, once again, had a terrible sense of humor. _How predictable. I should have known they'd have me sit next to Naomi_, he thought.

"Hello, Todd," she said with her soft and angelic voice. Todd's knees nearly melted at the sound coming from her vocal chords. At that time, her voice was soft and sweet, but he could tell that she was tired and ready to zone out at a moment's notice, especially since her eyes were half open and barely could stay that way.  
"Hey there, Sleeping Beauty," he replied.  
"More like Sleepy the Dwarf."  
"Well, if you're Sleepy, then that makes me Dopey, right?"  
"No, no, no," she said laughingly. "You'd be Bashful."

Todd gave a smirk to her sweet talk, and then brought attention to the journey that was ahead of him. "Naomi, do you know where we're going after we land?"  
"I'm not exactly sure. I know we're going to be camping for most of the time, but that doesn't start until the day after we land," she answered very tiredly.  
"You should get some rest now. It's going to be a long flight, and you need all the rest you can get. We've got a big week ahead of us.""You're right, Todd. I'll see you when we land."

Todd spent the next five minutes or so looking at Naomi sleep soundly like a baby. He wasn't sure why, but he took the time to look deep inside himself, and try to figure out his true feelings towards her. _I just don't get it. Whenever I'm alone, I always have this 'Fuck you, world!' swagger in my step. But when I'm around Naomi, I become a totally different person. I'm more open towards her, more willing to express myself. It just doesn't make any bit of sense why I can't do it everywhere else. It can't be that…I'm in love with her, can it? No! That's nonsense! But still, I…_

He was interrupted as the group leader started the roll call, followed by the flight attendants going through the standard emergency situations procedure. When the instructions were over, the pilot turned off all the lights, with the exception to little lights leading down the aisle to the exits and the lavatory, and some very dim nightlights scattered around the plane. The seat belt light came on as the plane turned towards the runway. The plane then sped up, and took off into the dark sky for the early morning flight.

Todd quickly fell asleep in his seat, but was awaken fourteen hours later when the pilot announced over the P.A. system that the plane was approaching Tokyo's airport. "Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. We will be arriving in Tokyo in about 45 minutes. The local time is 8:53 AM on Monday, so please feel free to set your watches accordingly," the pilot reported. _Typical. Of all the things I could have forgotten to bring, I didn't bring a damn clock_, Todd thought. Meanwhile, Naomi was setting her alarm clock to the new time zone. _Oh, that sure makes me feel better. Thanks for rubbing it in, God_.  
"Wow, Todd! Look out the window!" Naomi exclaimed.  
"That's kind hard for me to do when I'm sitting in an aisle seat," he replied. Todd had to really climb over Naomi to get any sort of view.  
"Isn't it pretty, the ocean and those islands down there? It's beautiful."  
"Yes, it certainly is a sight to see. " A brief pause followed. "Land ho!" Todd was referring to the main island of Honshu, slightly visible up ahead.  
"Where? I don't see it."  
"You may have to really squint your eyes."  
"There it is!"

Todd moved his eyes from the ocean to the side of Naomi's head, and admired another beautiful sight to see. _Wow. She really is something to behold. I don't know whether it's because of the bright morning light coming through the window, but she looks very…heavenly, and almost…like she's an angel. Aw, crap. There I go again, rambling on about how pretty she looks._

After taking what seemed like forever to exit the plane after it landed, everybody had to go through yet another long line, Japanese Customs. Passports were stamped and luggage was checked, very thoroughly._ This is just like the DMV! What is this supposed to be, payback for World War II? _Todd thought.

It took about ninety minutes for the entire group of twelve to be cleared by Customs. Then everyone hopped on a tour bus for a visit around Tokyo to visit skyscrapers and other points of interest until it was time to head for the hotel. Everyone would stay at the hotel overnight before heading out into the wilderness the next morning. To avoid any troubles, no one was allowed to share rooms with a member of the opposite sex. This gave Todd an opportunity to meet the other people in the group. He shared the room with sophomore named James, but he preferred to be called Jaime. Jaime was an outgoing person, to say the least. _I bet he's peeking through the 'closet' door_, Todd thought. Not only was Todd flamboyant, but he could not shut about anything, even if the fate of the world depended on it. _Thank God we have separate beds. _The good news for Todd was that Jaime didn't have a snoring problem. There weren't enough pillows in the world that would mute it out.

As the sun rose on a new day, everyone gather his or her luggage, grabbed something to eat, and got into another bus, this one less spectacular, that would take them to the camping ground. _Well, if I can get through one night with Jamie, then I can take on anything_, Todd thought. _This camping trip can't be any bit as bad as that was, right?_

* * *

Remember the three R's: Read, Review, and Recommend  
'Fox Tales' is 110 percent original, so don't steal it, or I'll unleash my team of lawyers on you. (Lawyers behind me with evil grins.) 


	6. Infusion or Illusion? Part II

Fox Tales

Chapter 6

"Infusion or Illusion? Part II"

It had been two days since Todd left for the Japan expedition, and it just now occurred to him that he hates camping, and has hated it all of his life. He now realized that the next few days were going to be a living hell. _What did I get myself into? _he thought as the group of half-asleep teenagers moaned its way towards the bus that would take everyone to the next stop.

For some strange reason, it was decided by whoever was in charge that the group would leave the hotel right in the middle of Tokyo's morning rush hour.  
"I don't believe it. People are cutting other people off, yelling at each other…and that's just our group," some kid standing next to Todd said. Todd couldn't do anything to keep himself from laughing. A couple of other people nearby chuckled lightly.  
"You said it," he replied, still laughing. "What's your name?"  
"I'm Nick. What's yours?"  
"I'm Todd, and it's nice to meet you. Where do you go to school?"  
"Sanderson High." The smile on Todd's face immediately disappeared, and was replaced by a slight look of frustration.  
"I don't think we should be talking to each other," he said.  
"Why? Oh. Let me guess. You go to Drexel High, don't you?"  
"Umm-hmm," Todd nodded.

Every high school has a rivalry with another. But when it comes to these two, the word 'rivalry' is redefined. It's even gotten to the point where three members of Sanderson's football team came over to Drexel, and ambushed one member of its team after some harsh insults were thrown the previous day. The victim was sent to the hospital, and the three boys were arrested. (A/N: This is based off something that actually happened in my senior year of high school, only it was with the boy's swim and dive team) Todd thought about keeping his distance from Nick, but he knew better than to let some rivalry keep a potentially good friendship from forming. He decided to give it another shot.  
"Hey, man. We shouldn't let that keep us from being friends," he said, trying to be reasonable.  
"Yeah, I guess you're right."  
"Mmm-hmm," Todd nodded. _Hold it. What do you mean you 'guess' I'm right? Of course I am, _he thought, trying as hard as he could not to say that aloud.

After waiting about ten minutes before finally finding a hole to merge into traffic, the group had finally managed to leave. Nick and Todd decided to sit next to each other, despite a small protest on Naomi's part. They decided to introduce each other more thoroughly, asking each other's grade, if he had siblings, etc. Everything was going just fine until Nick asked the one question Todd never wanted to hear.  
"So, why'd you come?"  
Those four words left Todd absolutely speechless. _What do I tell him? I can't say I came because I like camping. That'd be a flat-out lie. I can't say it's because I like Japan. Geography was one of my worst subjects. And I certainly can't tell him it's because I wanted to be with Naomi. That'd be too embarrassing for the both of us._  
"Uh…uh…" Todd worried.  
"That's alright. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."  
Todd breathed a deep sigh of relief.

Despite almost having a heart attack from that question, Todd was able to bring his heart rate back to normal, and met some more of the fellow students involved in the expedition, including Brian, Josh, Dave, and Monica. All four were sophomores at Drexel High, and in the school's Nature & Conservation club. Todd was hesitant to have a conversation with them since he wasn't too fond of the 'save the ' movement. Anything that might involve strapping one's self to a tree was out of the question. Todd quietly took himself out of the discussion.

About an hour later, the bus arrived at the gate to the nature reserve. Luckily, the group was given the luxury of taking the bus up to the campsite, and not having to hike the 4- mile distance. When the bus finally came to a stop, every one of the students exited the vehicle as fast as he or she could. All of them gathered on the sides of the bus, waiting for the doors to be unlocked so each could recover his or her belongings. Todd was in no such rush. He casually exited the bus and walked to the side, behind the small crowd that gathered. The driver exited and headed for the side with the key in his hand. Everyone separated, almost like the seas parted for the driver. He opened the panel that took up the entire side, and everyone stampeded to the luggage. The driver calmly went to the other side and did the same thing. While all of this was happening, Todd waited patiently for the rush to clear, and then he retrieved his belongings. The remaining bags were the tents everyone would be sleeping in, and sack lunches for the week.

It was now about 10:30 AM, and a couple of kids who hadn't gotten used to the time difference complained about being hungry since back home, they'd probably be eating breakfast right now. Many kids pulled out his or her iPods, a deck of playing cards, handheld video games, etc. while the faculty set up the tents. A couple of students had nothing better to do, so they decided to help. Todd pulled out his CD player, put on the headphones, sat down against the side of the bus, and put his hands behind his head. He was ready to relax, but he never got the chance to do such a thing, however. As soon as he closed his eyes, a shadowy figure lurched over him. He opened an eye, and it took a while to adjust and recognize the figure. He quickly knew who it was. "Can I help you?" Todd asked, half sarcastically.  
"What are you doing out here alone?" Naomi asked with a big smile. "You want to play with us?""Two questions. Who's 'us', and play what?"  
"Fine then. Two answers. You'll find out who, and 'Rich Man, Poor Man.' Do you know how to play?"  
"Yeah, I know how to play it. Can't say I'm any good at it though."  
"Well, there's only one way to get better. C'mon."

The 'us' that Naomi referred to were Rachel and Jasmine, her friends back at school. To them, Todd was a mysterious figure. They each talked about how they heard so much about him from Naomi, but they had never seen the quasi-legendary boyfriend of hers. Todd was surprised more, however, that he was referred to a her 'boyfriend.' _Since when did we become a couple?_ he thought. Rachel and Jasmine were in awe over his 'gorgeous shoulder-length orange hair' and his 'perfect torso.' They also were breathless over how his outfit made him look so 'mysterious.'  
"This is all very flattering, ladies," Todd said half-embarrassed and half-annoyed, "but can we please return to the game?"  
"Whatever you say, hot stuff," Rachel replied with a naughty tone.  
"Rachel!" Naomi and Jasmine said in surprise and dismay. Naomi even pushed her from the side.  
The game continued, and Todd wasn't doing too terribly, but Naomi was an expert at the game. Everyone was getting frustrated that they couldn't do anything to stop her.

Saturday and Sunday were given as the only free days of the entire trip to the students. Monday was the first real day of the trip, and it didn't matter to Todd that this was the Monday of a vacation week. He still hated Mondays, no matter when they fall or if he's on a different continent. What was worse was that there would be a hike every day of the trip. The first hike wasn't terrible because the trail was only one and a half miles round trip. But it got worse from there. The distance increased in half-mile increments every day between Tuesday and Saturday, totaling 16.5 miles for the entire week. With every day that passed, everyone became increasingly exhausted. The sack lunches were prepared by the school district, which meant is was the same, terrible cafeteria food everyone was used to. Plus, everyone got pretty sick of instant ramen for dinner pretty quickly. Well, everyone but the Nature & Conservation club kids. They couldn't be happier.

For the final evening, a native expert on mythology named Mr. Kawasaki (A/N: I'll admit it. I'm not good with names) was the last installment of nightly entertainment. The good news was that he spoke English. The bad news was that his accent was thicker than the layer of rice in the sushi samples he provided, so it was still very difficult to understand him. Everyone was started to get pretty tired when he got to the final tale of the night.  
"How many of you here believe in spirits?" the old sage asked. A couple of girls raised her hand, neither of them at all sure if she understood what the old man meant.  
"Well, I am not here to try to change your minds. I am here to provide you a taste of folklore and mythology. Here's one example."  
"In Japanese legends, one of the dominant beings used is what we call a _kitsune_, or a fox. Folk tales have portrayed these creatures as being able to assume a human form at will, as well as magical powers that increase with age. They have been portrayed in many different ways, and this one is one of my favorites. Around 1,000 years ago, there was a kitsune named Satoru. He was feared very much by many, going from village to village destroying homes and killing many humans. Ironically, he did all this in human form. He had acquired a superiority complex thanks to his great strength. His contempt for humans was tested when one village decided to fight back and caused Satoru to retreat.

"While Satoru tried to contemplate how to seek revenge while sleeping, he had a vision from his father, who said to him, 'My son, why are you doing this, especially when the humans have done nothing to harm you? Some day, you are going to realize that greater things will come to you if you show charity.'" At this point, Todd is on the brink of sleeping, as was half the group. _You know what, sir,_ he thought, _you're right. You're not here to change my mind. You're actually reaffirming my belief that you're crazy._  
The sage continued, "Satoru woke up from his dream the next morning, which he spent contemplating the meaning of his vision. While doing so, on the side of the road was a mother, holding her injured and crying daughter. He immediately thought about what his father said in the dream and decided to help. He said to the mother, 'What is the problem?' She replied, 'My little daughter has broken her leg, and we are miles from our village.' Satoru walked over to the women and said, 'Well, let me see what I can do for that.' He squatted down and used his magical powers to heal the girl's leg. The mother and daughter were amazed. The daughter asked, 'Mister, how did you do it?' He turned to the side and let her see a tail that he let out. The little girl said, 'Wow! A kitsune! I can not believe I got to see one!' Both the mother and daughter got up walked off, but the little girl turned around, waved goodbye, and shouted, 'Thank you, mister!'

"After that, Satoru decided he'd go village to village again, but this time, he'd start helping people in his journey to find the reward his father spoke of. He healed injuries and illnesses, and helped rebuild houses, all while disguising himself, so that no one would recognize that it was him who destroyed them in the first place. After a while, Satoru was starting to figure out what his father meant. While traveling to the next village, he was ambushed and surrounded by a bunch of men with bow and arrows. He recognized them as people of the village that forced him to retreat. Everyone fired straight at him, into his heart, spine, and everywhere in his torso. He has now died. Legend has it the Satoru's spirit is wandering aimlessly in this forest, still looking for others to help, and the meaning of the vision. Because some claim he has been of assistance, his legacy lives on."

Everyone gave the man a polite round of applause, either because it was a good story, or because they were glad he was done so they can go to bed. Todd headed to his respective tent, when Naomi met up with him. "So, what did you think?" she asked."It wasn't terrible, but I'm not really into that sort of thing."  
"Aw, don't you think it's intriguing to imagine what it would be like if someone like him infused himself with you, and suddenly you had all these powers?"  
"No, not really. The only thing I'm thinking about is going to bed." With that, Todd crawled into his tent and zipped up the door.

As Todd lays in his sleeping bag, raindrops began to pound the tent. The sound of them crashing onto the synthetic roof became hypnotic, causing Todd to finally close his eyes and fall asleep. He began to dream… (A/N: Enter dream sequence. Things are getting really wavy, man)

Todd opens his eyes to find himself in a nearly pitch-black realm. He is naked and glowing a little bit, but he didn't realize that he was bare. About 200 feet away, Todd saw something that was walking towards him, also slightly glowing. "What's that?" he said. As it got closer, it became more recognizable. Finally, Todd knew what it was. "A fox?" It was indeed a fox, larger than a cub, but not full-grown. Todd was nervous and cautious since he did not know what to do with it. The creature came up to his left ankle, took a couple of sniffs, and walked around and against his shin like a cat. Todd now became awestruck with how the fox was acting around him. After making figure-8's between Todd's legs, the fox walked out in front of him, and looked right at Todd's face. Todd squats down to get a real close look. Then, all of a sudden, the fox pounces right at Todd, who didn't have any time to react. The fox went into Todd's chest, causing Todd to lean forward and cough as if the wind had been knocked out of him. The only thing that went through his mind was, "_What the hell is going on?" _From the moment contact was made, everything was in slow motion for Todd. He looked down and saw the creature becoming a part of him somehow. When it was all over, Todd closed his eyes and fell.

Todd immediately and heavily gasped and sat up as he woke from the dream. He patted himself over his body just to make sure that it was all just a dream. After he convinced himself that it was indeed a dream, Todd out on a light coat and went outside for some fresh air. He looked up to the heavens and saw many stars in the clear night sky. He stood there, still a little frightened and shaken from the dream. _It seems like I can't shake it off_, he thought.

* * *

Remember the three R's: Read, Review, and Recommend  
'Fox Tales' is 110 percent original, so don't steal it, or I'll unleash my team of lawyers on you.  
(Lawyers behind me with evil grins) 


	7. Infusion or Illusion? Part III

**Fox Tales**

Chapter 7  
"Infusion or Illusion? Part III"

(A/N: This chapter is dedicated to my grandfather, Maurice Carl Miller.  
December 26, 1919-January 20, 2007.)

Staring at the night sky that was filled with stars, due to a lack of city lights, Todd stood in the middle of the camping campus. He felt a little different, but he just couldn't describe what that change was because he didn't exactly know what the change was. Todd attributed the change to jetlag, and blew it off as if it never existed. He tried to shake it out of his head, and returned to his tent so he could recover as much of the lost sleep as he could. Naomi, however, wouldn't let him off the hook that easily. She couldn't sleep either, and she inexplicably needed someone to talk to very badly.

"Hey," she said as she walked up to and stood beside Todd.  
"Hey," he replied back as he looked over his left shoulder.  
"I couldn't sleep."  
"Neither could I. I had a very weird dream, and trust me, you do not want to hear what it was."  
"So, what are you doing out here?" she asked, trying to change the subject as quickly as she could.  
"I don't know. I guess I'm here to try to clear out my head so I can get back to sleep. We're going to need a hell of a lot of rest for the return flight home," he said.  
Suddenly, it dawned on Naomi that she had wasted the entire trip, and failed to get any alone time with Todd in order to express her feelings. That is, until now.  
In trying to be polite, Todd thanked Naomi for inviting him on the trip, even though deep down, he knew it wasn't the best trip of his life. This was the opportunity Naomi was waiting for. In a desperate attempt to keep the trip from becoming a complete waste, she grabbed Todd by the left arm, pulled him over to her, stood up as high as she could, and kissed him squarely on the lips. She was able to hold the kiss for about three seconds. When she was done, she whispered in his ear, "You're welcome." Naomi walked back to her tent, as Todd was left standing there in complete and utter shock.

The next morning, everyone had to get up really early in order to have enough time to pack and catch the flight. Todd was still reeling back from what happened just a few hours earlier. He barely slept a wink last night, and it kept him from being able to fully concentrate on packing everything up for the return home. After a very simple breakfast was served, and luggage was packed and stored, the students and supervisors walked back onto the bus that would bring everyone to the airport. About two hours later, the group was at the airport, and on the way to the terminal.

A 9:00AM departure meant that Todd and everyone else would be arriving back home at about the same time that the left one week earlier. Unfortunately, there would not be an in-flight movie, and the only entertainment Todd brought was a CD player, and a case filled with CDs he'd already heard at least a thousand times each. It became obvious that he did not give enough thought towards entertaining himself for fifteen hours. He tried to fall asleep on the flight, but the thought of what happened last night kept him up and very wide-eyed. _What the fuck was she thinking?_ he thought._ It's official. She's lost it. She has absolutely lost it. _What was good for Todd, however, was that all the worrying kept him busy for about three hours. He thought about confronting Naomi about this on Monday morning, and he didn't care if it would be in the middle of the hallway at school, or if it was private.

On Monday, Todd and Naomi passed by each other in the hallway while they were off to their respective classes. They both stared at each other's faces, too embarrassed to say anything whatsoever. There were a few people standing in their way. It was, after all, an overcrowded high school, with the term "overcrowded" being used lightly. This kept Todd from being able to pull her aside and confront her in front if everyone, but it also kept him from doing he'd probably just end up regretting anyway. As they passed each other, both began to blush just a little bit. When Naomi arrived at her class, it was the very first thing her best friends noticed.

"Why are you blushing, Naomi?" Rachel asked.  
"I'm not blushing," she responded as she sat down.  
"Yes, you are blushing, and we want to know why!"  
"You don't have to yell, Rachel," Jasmine interrupted.  
"Well…"  
After explaining to her friends what happened that night, neither Rachel nor Jasmine could contain herself. Naomi tried as she could to calm them down because class was about to start. But she never really was able to completely get them quiet.

While Todd walking home late from school, rain suddenly began to fall down. It wasn't a drizzle, but it wasn't heavy either. He wasn't prepared for it since it had been sunny all day. Out of nowhere, an elderly woman walked up to him and said, "Excuse me, sir, but you look troubled. Would you like to have your palm read?"  
"I think I'll pass. Thanks, though," Todd replied cynically.  
"Oh, please. It will only take a moment. I'll even give it to you 'on the house,'""Fine," Todd said half-heartedly. He was extremely skeptical of mediums, but had extra time and nothing to lose. He told himself repeatedly it wouldn't mean anything.

The woman took Todd aside by the arm into a small alley, towards a station that had an improvised roof over it, and sat behind a fold-up table with a purple tablecloth. Todd took the seat on the opposite side of her, facing a brick wall. The woman placed her arms on the table, and Todd did the same. As soon as the old lady placed her hands on Todd's palms, she felt an intense shiver go down her spine. _Oh my! I've never felt anything like this before_, she thought.  
"Is there something wrong?" Todd asked the old woman.  
"Oh no, there's nothing wrong, sir," she replied embarrassingly. "I sense a life-changing event will come to you. In fact, I foresee a number of life-changing events happening to you."  
"Right. A series of life-changing events will happen to me," he said sarcastically. "Whatever you say." Todd stood up and continued his trip home.  
"It was nice to meet you sir," the woman said. Todd simply ignored her.

That night, Todd dreamed again. It was similar to the dream the other night. Todd was in a pitch-black space, but this time, he was in his dark blue pajamas. Suddenly, a bright light appeared about six feet in front of him. Todd had to close his eyes and hold his left arm up to shield himself. When the light subsided, he opened his eyes to find a man standing in front of him. This man was dressed in many thin layers and wore a chest plate.  
"Who…who are you?" Todd asked. But the man just stood there with a small smirk on his face. After a short pause, the man opened his mouth. With he was about to speak, the sound that came out was…nothing other than his alarm clock. When Todd opened his eyes, he gasped a little bit. _Not again_, he thought. _What the fucking hell was that?_

Todd had to stay late at school again that day. He took the same path home that he did yesterday. It was dark and clouds were starting to gather in the skies. The medium that he met last night stepped out of the alley and onto the sidewalk 30 feet in front of him.  
"Oh, no. Not you again," Todd said as he stopped in front of her. "Why don't you just leave me alone?"  
"I'm glad you've come here," the woman said in a dark tone.  
"Look, I don't want another palm reading, and I'm not gonna waste my time or money by dealing with you." Todd walked on, a little frustrated.

"Hmm," the woman said softly to herself. She pulled out a slip of paper with some writing on it, whispered a little prayer, and threw the paper like a Frisbee with her right hand. The front end of the paper caught fire, and zoomed past the right side of Todd's head, hitting the concrete sidewalk, and breaking up into a million pieces. Todd gasped and turned his whole body around. "What the hell are you doing?" he shouted. "You're not supposed to attack former customers."  
"I'll tell you the truth, young lad, about the palm reading last night," she explained. "As soon as my hand came in contact with yours, I felt something strange. I felt a spiritual presence inside you."  
"You don't use pot in your practice, do you? You're absolutely crazy, lady!" he exclaimed. But the woman continued on.  
"There is someone within you who is having trouble crossing over, and it's my job to help it do so. If I have to destroy you in the process…" She paused to pull out a bunch of slips. "…then so be it!!!"

Three flaming slips came towards Todd at a blistering pace. But to him, it was a little bit in slow motion. When he moved his left side out of the way to dodge them, he yelled, "What the hell are those things?"  
"They are called sutras, and they are going to exorcise that spirit."  
Five more sutras came flying at him, this time towards his legs and feet. Todd easily jumped in place and out of their way. The woman, growing a tiny bit frustrated, walked closer to Todd, throwing more sutras in the process. They were coming to him three at a time. To avoid them, Todd first leaned back and toward his right, then did a back flip to avoid the one at his legs, another one to avoid some coming to his hands when he landed. After that round, Todd landed on his feet with the most perplexed feeling he's ever had. _I've never been able to do a back flip before in my life. How and why the fucking hell am I starting now?_ he thought.

The suddenly evil medium continued to get closer, and Todd had to do more flips, somersaults, etc. in order to dodge the other sutras. All of this was happening in slow motion to Todd, like it was too easy for him (A/N: This is also known as "The Matrix Syndrome" LOL). _Somehow, I'm suddenly a master at some kind of martial arts. I don't think even adrenaline could explain this_, he thought. However, he eventually was moving too fast and his foot slipped while landing a flip. Instead, he ended up on his back and wincing in pain. The woman stopped walking and smiled. "This one should do it. Spirit, BE GONE!" she yelled. As the sutra caught fire and headed towards Todd, something amazing happened. It was swatted down. The woman gasped in awe. Todd looked ahead to see what object swatted the sutra away, then his eyes followed to the person holding the object. It was Gary, using his six-foot long defense pole like a baseball bat.

"Who are you?" the old woman asked.  
"Listen. You may not know me, but you do not want to mess with me, or my friend," Gary said. He walked in front of Todd and held his stick like a samurai sword, with the head facing out. "Now, you have two options. Either you beat it, or I beat you."  
"You don't want to mess with me either. But we will meet again," the woman said angrily. She then ran off, through the dark alley."Hey. Are you okay, man?" Gary asked as he looked behind him and stuck his right hand out.  
"Yeah, I'll be fine," Todd answered. "Thanks for saving me. Let me guess. You had to stay late as well."  
"I sure did. We've got a big game coming up."  
"Talk about being lucky." Gary now had that smirk on his face he got when he was about to say something inappropriate. He was about to say it when Todd tried to shut that door. "DON'T…SAY…ANYTHING!"

* * *

Remember the three R's: Read, Review, and Recommend  
'Fox Tales' is 110 original, so don't steal it, or I'll unleash my team of lawyers on you.  
(Lawyers behind me with evil grins) 


	8. Infusion or Illusion? Part IV

Fox Tales

Chapter 8

"Infusion or Illusion? Part IV"

(A/N: This is the final part. I swear.)

As March faded and April rolled in, 'senioritis' began to take its toll on all of those that planned on graduating in May. It was the time of year where the hallways of the school would be decidedly emptier, as the seniors started skipping more and more often. While the lazy days of summer were fast approaching, the final six weeks of school were far from lazy. Final exams were getting closer with each and every passing moment, and on some level, no matter how minute it may be, the pressure affected everyone. Well, everyone except Todd, that is. He may not have been taking every other day off, but his attention span sure was. His philosophy is, and always has been: don't cross the bridge until you get to it. He was contemplating this at his desk while waiting for fifth-period class to begin. He turned to Gary, sitting beside him, and said, "I just don't get it, Gary. What is it with preparing up to a month-and-a-half for a test that's only going to require a hour-and-a-half to take?"  
"You're asking the wrong person," Gary answered emphatically. "I may not be the smartest person in the world…" A pause followed."But…" Todd said, expecting Gary to finish his sentence.  
"What? I'm done."  
Todd took the opportunity the slap Gary upside the back of his head, as if to say, "You idiot!"  
"One more thing," Gary said. "Guess who got busted with a half-pound of pot in his car while you were gone?"  
"Damn it! It'd better not be you 'cause if it was…"  
"Would I be here if it was me?"  
"I was just joking. Besides, we all knew it was going to happen at some point."

Meanwhile, in the school library upstairs, Naomi was using her free period to get a head start on a different kind of test preparation. She sat in a chair at a table with a couple of notebooks to her right, one opened, and some study guides to her left. _Okay_, she thought. _I need to do really well on my SAT if I'm going to get that scholarship. I need that scholarship money badly! _After spending the next half-hour racking her brains with nothing to show for it, she began to get frustrated in a hurry. _ Geez! This is too hard!!! _The people around her could see Naomi's frustration, and knew that at any moment, she could start wildly ripping out notebook paper. A female student walked into the library and immediately sat down in a chair on the side opposite Naomi. It didn't long before she started to see the anger in Naomi's eyes.  
"Are you okay?" the female student asked.  
"No, not really," Naomi answered fiercely. She looked drew her head up a bit and noticed that the student had the same study guides that she had. _I guess she must be studying for the SAT as well,_ Naomi thought.  
"I noticed we were using the same guides. Do you want me to help you study?" the student offered.  
"Sure. What's your name?"  
"I'm Angela. And you?"  
"I'm Naomi. It's nice to meet you. Let's get to work then, shall we?"

The weekend simply could not have come soon enough. Everyone was now able to catch his/her breath, and breathe a sigh of relief. One of the more popular places in the area was Lake Frasier. It is so popular that when the big vacation season comes around, someone is more likely to be struck by lighting than find an open spot within reasonable walking distance from the shore. But that period doesn't begin until after the school year ends, and that was now just five weeks away. Without telling anyone, Todd decided to take a weekend vacation there. He drove for nearly two hours into the foothills of the mountain range.

A sparse crowd was in attendance along the shoreline because the baseball season had begun, and everyone was either playing on a team, or going to the nearest diamond to watch a game. It didn't matter whether it was professional, Little League, or somewhere in between. The town of Sonoma Springs craved baseball, much like the Southeast craves football. Every summer, the ma-and-pa businesses will put up signs and paint the windows with a local high school team's colors, nearly half the town is wearing a baseball cap with a logo at any given point in time, and all the men will live and die solely on whether or not their favorite teams won. The small-town, middle-America atmosphere only intensified the rivalries, but somehow, nothing ever got out of hand. No matter whom anybody supported or played for, any two fans or players of bitter rivals could go to a bar or burger joint and share all the lifelong memories they have of the sport they love so very, very much.

While Todd was never a serious baseball fan, he knew that the start of the new season played right into his hands. He didn't have to compete with anyone for prime lakeshore real estate. This was one of those instances when Todd thanked God for baseball, simply because it made things much more convenient for him. Wearing nothing more than a loose fitting light blue T-shirt and black swim trunks, he got out of the car, locked it, and walked over the lake from the make-shift parking lot, carrying a towel with his left wrist. The sky was blue with a few clouds to provide some shade from the sun. Todd set his towel where it was somewhat close to the shore, but not far from shading tree in case it got too hot for him. Todd pulls out a pair of sunglasses from his trunks, put them on, and rested on the towel. What he didn't know was that he was being watched.

Somewhere else, in a moderately lit underground headquarters, a young man is looking into his mystic cauldron as it displayed Todd set up his spot of relaxation. Walking towards him from behind was the old medium that attacked Todd on the street. She came to a stop.  
"So, how did it go?" the man asked.  
Then, the woman transformed herself. She changed from an elderly person no more than 5' tall, to revealing her true form: a young woman who looked to be on her mid-to-late twenties, now wearing a smooth, red cocktail dress and matching high-heels. What was once a short, grey-haired disguise is now a slender and sexy, 5'10" brunette.  
"I wasn't able to complete what you asked," she replied. A snicker was across the man's face.  
"Well, it appears that this person is stronger than I originally thought," he said.  
"What is the plan now?"  
"You don't need to worry about that, Rose. I've already got it all figured out. Just leave it all to me."  
"Yes, Eric, sir." Soft, evil chuckles came out from his mouth as Rose walks off.

After relaxing for about twenty minutes, while at the border separating consciousness and sleep, Todd vaguely hears someone screaming for help. He opened his eyes, quickly sat up, and started moving his head, looking for where the voice was coming from. He finally spots it, slightly to his right, smack in the middle of the lake. It was a little girl drowning, flailing her arms everywhere and shouting, "Help!" whenever she could. Todd stood as he started running in her direction. He couldn't explain it, but he suddenly felt like it became his duty to save her. After making the left-hand turn onto the dock, he nearly ripped off his shirt, took off the sunglasses, and dove head first into the water. The few people that were there were amazed that someone had the courage to go in. When Todd gets back to the surface of the frigid lake water, he starts to swim as fast as he possibly can.

Todd looked forward long enough to see the drowning girl go under, as if she were being pulled down. Todd took one very deep breath, and dove under the surface, into the somewhat murky water. He saw the girl had been pulled about 25 feet below the surface, or at least it seemed like that far. Luckily, Todd still had enough air in his lungs so he could get to her, and bring her to the surface. Suddenly, however, he couldn't go any further. At first, he thought his ankle might be caught in something. But when he turned around to look, there was nothing there. He tried to get away again, but he ended up swimming in place. He could absolutely feel something on his ankle. All of this moving around, though, caused Todd to use up nearly all of his breath. _What the fuck is holding me up? _he thought. Then, Todd's vision began to become dark, realizing that he was beginning to run out of breath and pass out. _No! It can't end like this,_ he thought. Todd looked down one last time at the girl, now suspended and motionless. _I'm sorry, _Todd thought. Finally, Todd closed his eyes, let a couple of bubbles out of his mouth, and passed out.

Back at the underground hideout, Rose and Eric look at the images displayed at the mystic cauldron.  
"Well, I hope you're happy that you killed him," Rose scolded.  
"Wait for it…wait for it," Eric replied

Suddenly, Todd's eyes reopened, but this time, they were completely shining nothing but orange light. His head turned around to look at his ankle, squinted his eyes, and he was freed. He continued swimming to the motionless girl, wrapped his arms around her waist, and pulled her from whatever was keeping her down. She was held the same way he was held back. Todd carried her in his left arm as he swam up to the surface. When he got there, he put the girl on his back, and swam to the shore. The other people at the beach saw the bodies come up, but all of them were too far away to really see anything. Some of them started running along the shore in Todd's direction to get a closer look. They eventually ran to the edge of the dock, though it still wasn't close enough. Todd kept swimming until it was shallow enough for him to walk, with his entire eyes still inexplicably glowing orange. When he got to the shore, Todd took the girl off of his back, and softly put her on the sand. His eyes stopped glowing, and he immediately fell onto the sand, eyes closed again. Everyone else ran over to continue the rescue.

Slowly, Todd regains consciousness and even more slowly do his eyes open. The first thing he saw was the worried looks on everyone's faces, especially the one hovering no more than a foot above his own. The expressions quickly changed from worry to relief, with plenty of smiles to go around.  
"Wha…what happened?" Todd weakly asked.  
"Where am I?"You're still at Lake Frasier, boy," the closer man said.  
"You're lucky that I know CPR."  
"I just want to thank you for saving my daughter," another man said.  
"But…but, I don't remember anything about…" Todd said.  
"Oh, good. The ambulance is here," the first man said. "You're going to be just fine."  
Todd was too tired to keep talking, so he closed his eyes, and went to sleep.

Meanwhile, as all of this was happening, the images from the cauldron went away.  
"You knew this would happen, didn't you?" a perplexed Rose asked. Eric started walking towards his chair, which was more like a throne.  
"I certainly had a feeling it would," he replied. "Otherwise, it all would have been a tragic waste." He finally sat down in the chair as Rose turned to look at him.  
"Now that we know who our opponent is," he said, "it is now time to be on the attack." He paused before putting a huge smirk on his face.  
"Let the battle begin."

**To be continued…right now**

Todd returned home from the hospital later that day. The car had to be towed all the way from the lake to his home. He got a stern lecture from his about how he should never be sneaking around behind her back like that, but ultimately, she was happy that her son was still alive. When he came home, the clock had stuck midnight, so he went straight to bed. _For once, I actually agree with a suggestion of my mother's,_ he thought. About two hours later, Todd was moving around, unable to stay still because of his dream, or so he thought.

Once again, Todd was standing in a pitch-black room, only this time, he was in his favorite outfit, and the only thing he could see was his own body. He moved his head around for a while, trying to figure out where he was. _This is just like the last one,_ he said softly. Then, he heard footsteps coming from ahead of him. Out of the shadows came a human figure. He was wearing a white kimono with a white liner on the inside. He was barefoot, and his hair was similar to Todd's: about shoulder-length, nearly orange in color, covering both sides of the head.

"Hello," he said with a kind smile.  
"Hi," Todd replied with uncertainty.  
"You seem tense, so relax. I come peacefully."  
"Well, of course I'm tense. I'm talking to some stranger who comes out of nowhere." Todd paused. "Who are you anyway?" he yelled.  
"My name is Satoru."  
Todd raised an eyebrow when he heard that name. "Satoru…that name's somehow familiar," he whispered. "Wait. Are you that kitsune-person from the legend?""Legend, you say?" Satoru already knew all about such legend. He wanted to know, however, if Todd did.  
"Yeah. I was told a story about how a thousand years ago, you used to terrorize villages because of your contempt for humans. Then, when some guy fought back, you ultimately had a change of heart. Then you were killed by a group of humans seeking revenge after healing a girl's broken leg."  
"That is correct," Satoru said. "By the way, what's your name?"  
"It's Todd."

Todd wanted answers, and he wanted them now. "I was also told that since the day you died, you've been wandering around, looking to find more people to help. What attracted you to me?"  
"I'm not sure, young man. It just seems as though fate has brought us together, and we will find out together why that is so."  
Bluntly, Todd asked, "How long have you been with me?"  
"Ever since the night you heard the legend."  
"So, let me understand this. You were there the night I was attacked by an old woman? In fact, since the legend is true…that means you're the reason I was able to dodge her barrage so easily, right?"  
"Yes, that is right."  
"And, you must have taken over my body when I passed out underwater yesterday trying to save that girl. Is that right?"  
"Yes, it is."  
After Todd took a moment to soak it all in, he said, "Thank you for saving my life."  
"You are welcome."  
"You know, neither one of us knows why we've come together," Todd said. Then he paused. "But it must be pretty big and important if it means bringing back someone who's been dead for the last thousand years."

Todd woke up with a gasp for air. He took to time to pinch himself and make sure it was a dream. But he knew this was not one of those dreams you can toss aside. Todd's life, as he knew it, would never again be the same.

* * *

Remember the three R's: Read, Review, and Recommend  
'Fox Tales' is 110 original, so don't steal it, or I'll unleash my team of lawyers on you.  
(Lawyers behind me with evil grins) 


	9. Transfurmation, Part I

**Fox Tales**

Chapter 9

"Transfurmation, Part I"

(A/N: The title is not a typo. It's a bad pun)

After waking up from the conversation with Satoru, Todd looked at the alarm clock sitting on the nightstand to his right. It read 1:53 AM. Now knowing that he still had a few hours to go before he had to get up for school, he let his head fall back onto the pillow, and officially fell asleep ten minutes later. However, the dream picked up right where it left off.

"Oh, it's you again," Todd said dryly when he re-entered the dream.  
"Yes. What you said before you left is right. It must be something very important," Satoru replied. "For whatever reason, my soul has not been at rest since the day I died."  
"Well…I gotta ask…can you think of any unfinished business you might have?"  
"No. In fact I can't really remember much about my life. I know about the story that you mentioned earlier, but not a whole lot more. Why do you ask?"

Todd paused to try to comprehend and diagnose the situation. "Well, regardless of your apparent amnesia, I do think you have some unfinished business. In my mind, that'd be the only reason why you haven't found peace. Wait a minute. I just had a quick thought."  
"What is it?"  
"You know, I think I've figured out why this is happening. My guess is that somehow, I'm supposed to help you put together the puzzle pieces of your life, and that will reveal what unfinished business you have. Does that make sense?"  
"Yes, it makes sense. I am not sure, however, that your theory is true. Although what you say would explain many things, I think it is too soon to try to make prognostications."  
"I guess so," Todd said passively "So, where do we start?"

As soon as Satoru opens his mouth, Todd's alarm goes off. He turns around onto his belly, puts his left hand on the nightstand, feels around for alarm, and turns it off. He then turns to lie on his back, and opens his eyes. Damn. This is going to be bugging me all day long, he thought.

Todd decided that if he was going to figure out what was going on, he'd need some clues, and that meant boning up on legends. He walked a few blocks to the local library, and checked some books out on mythology, particularly Japanese mythology. Since his mother would be out of the house all day running errands, he figured he could do the actual reading of the books at home.

-_What are you doing?_ a voice said to Todd.  
"What the…who said that?" Todd said shocked, looking around.  
-_You mean you have already forgotten my voice?_  
"You mean…I can hear you during the day?"  
-_Yes_, Satoru chuckled. _You and I have become one, remember?_  
"Yes," Todd conceded. "I still have to wrap my mind around that idea, I guess." Todd realized that he was in a public place with many people around him, so he decided to keep the conversation to himself rather than mumble to himself and cause everyone to question his sanity.  
-_If you must know, I've decided to do a little bit of research_.  
-_Research? Research what?_  
-_Legends and mythology. I figured that it might give me some clues as to why you and I have met_.  
-_Well, I suppose it's not a bad start_.

Back home that night, Todd is sitting at the desk in his room with the lamp on, doing something he hadn't done since before he could remember: studying. He hadn't stopped since he got back home. The phone rang downstairs. Todd bolted out of the chair, and ran down the stairs to the phone in the kitchen to answer it.  
"Reinhardt residence," he said.  
"Todd," the other voice said. It was his mother, sobbing deeply and breathing heavily.  
"Mom, what's wrong?"  
"Todd, I have some…very bad news," she said, stopping to sniffle.  
"What is it?"  
"I just received word from your father that…your sister…was involved in a car accident…"  
"Oh, God!"

Tears immediately began welling up in Todd's eyes. If it were possible, his jaw would have dropped through the floor and down to the bottom of the basement.  
"My God! What happened?" he yelled.  
"She went out with a couple of her friends to a party, with alcohol, and they all had too much to drink. On the way back, she ran a red light, and was t-boned, right into the driver side. I…I can't control myself. I've got to get to the hospital. I'll have to call you back later." With that, she hung up.

Todd quietly turned the phone off, and let it drop to the floor. His face had disbelief written all over it. He stared blankly into space with an open mouth. He didn't say anything because he couldn't. He was at a total loss for words. None could express the emotions running through his body.  
"I…I…I don't…believe it," Todd whispered. Each sentence became more difficult to utter. "Oh, God. What's happening? Why does…my life have to be so…so--"  
_It's alright, Todd. Everything is going to be fine, Satoru said_  
"No! It's not fine!" Todd said, pausing. "It's all going to hell in a handbasket!" He picked up the phone from the floor, though his vision was blurred a bit by the tears welling up in his eyes.  
"First, my own goddamn sister has been giving me the silent treatment for the last five years," he said as he looked at the phone in his hand, "and she's now on some fucking hospital bed, possibly fighting for her life! Now…now I've become infused or whatever with you for some damn reason, and I don't know how to make any SENSE OF IT!"

With that sentence, Todd emphatically threw the handheld phone across the room like a tomahawk. As soon as he let go, the moment slowed down. Everything seemed to go in slow-mo, including himself. Tears flung from Todd's eyes as hair flew in front of his face. The phone slowly hit the wall, bringing everything back up to speed. Todd looked down, fell to his knees, and began to cry hard.

Late the next night, Todd decided to take a long walk in order to try to clear his head. The trip was so long that he managed all the way into downtown. The streets were quiet and empty. All of the stores had closed for the night; the air was crisp. Meanwhile, Eric and Rose (A/N: our antagonists, remember) stood on the roof of a three-story structure a few buildings away from where Todd was.  
"Are you sure you want to do this now?" Rose asked.  
"Yes. This is as good a time as ever." Then Eric walked over to the edge of the building, looking down on the alley off of the sidewalk. He pulled out a wooden staff with a purple orb on top from underneath his trench coat, and stood it on its bottom end, placing his hands on top of the orb. He then inaudibly began to murmur some incantations, which caused the orb to glow. After he finished the spells, he picked up the rod, with his right hand at the bottom, and pointed the orb at the ground below. A big circle with a glowing edge formed, and a shining figure came from the circle. What Eric had done was create a monster almost as tall as the buildings surrounding it. In very simple terms, it was a giant lizard, but it could walk on its hind legs and it had hands shaped like a human's, only with claws. The monster was growling with teeth clenched like an angry dog, just waiting for the command. When it was all done, Eric grinned and pointed his index finger at his creation and said, "Go around this corner and destroy that boy!"

Todd walked slowly with his head slightly tilted down, looking at the sidewalk in front of him. He then suddenly felt and heard a loud thud. He stopped to regain his balance. "Holy shit!" he said. He then swiveled his head around to try to figure out where it was coming from. Another thud came, and another, and another. Todd looked up and saw the red monster standing right in front of him. A profound wave of fear went through Todd's body like nothing he had ever experienced before. The monster elevated its right arm and tried to squash Todd with an open palm. Todd was able to run and dive out of the way. The giant hand's impact left a huge dent in the sidewalk where he standing. Lying on his belly on the road, Todd looked over his shoulder and saw that the monster was trying again. He quickly got up to his feet and ran, with the smashing hand and tiny pieces of flying asphalt not far behind. What the hell is that thing, and what the fuck am I supposed to do? he thought. While running, Todd realized that the loud noises hadn't woken anyone else up, as if he was the only one who knew what was going on. Yelling for help wasn't going to help him.  
-_Um, spirit, whatever your name is…can you hear me? he thought_.  
-_Yes, I can hear you_, Satoru replied.  
-_Do you have any ideas? 'Cause the only one I have is to run_.  
-_I do know how to defeat this beast. But I have to ask you to do one thing_.  
-_What's that?_  
-_I need you to trust me enough to let me do what I'm about to do you_.  
-_What?! 'About to do to me'?!_  
-_I know it a lot to ask of you since we haven't known each other for a while. But it's the only way we can get out of this predicament alive_.  
Todd realized that Satoru was right. No one else was going to be able to defeat this danger. He was still unsure letting some stranger do whatever with his body.  
-_Well, do you trust me or not? Satoru asked firmly_.  
Todd ran back to the sidewalk near the corner. He was facing the brick wall of a building, looking down on the ground. Thoughts of whether or not to basically give someone he just met a blank check raced through his mind as the monster came ever closer with each thud.  
-_Do you trust me, Todd?_ Satoru asked sternly. Another thud followed. The monster was now just a half-block away. Todd turned his body to face the beast, lifted his straightforward and said quietly, "I trust you."

* * *

Remember the three R's: Read, Review, and Recommend.  
'Fox Tales' is 110 original, so don't steal it, or I'll unleash my team of lawyers on you.  
(Lawyers behind me with evil grins)

If there is anyone out there who has been reading this story, thank you. You may have noticed how long it took me to put out a new chapter. That's because school has started up again and my workload has increased. So wait periods like this last one are going to be more common, unfortunately. Hang tight, though. I'll still to write this story when I figure out the plot for the next chapter. Go back and skim chapter 8 and see it can bring you up to speed. And please, let me know you're out there reading this.


	10. Transfurmation, Part II

**Fox Tales**

Chapter 10  
"Transfurmation, Part II"

Author's Note: First of all, if you are one of the original readers of this story, and you've stumbled upon again after all these years, then I am sincerely and utterly sorry. I have disappointed not only myself, but you as well. It's not that I didn't care about you. It's just that the passion that I had for writing this story three years ago faded. I knew for the longest time that I still had more of this story to tell, but for whatever reason or excuse, I just didn't get to it. Plus, while I left off on a cliffhanger, it was not the kind of cliffhanger that you can end a story on. I have now made a new commitment to this story, and I hope you're willing to enjoy the ride with me…again. You'll probably need a refresher; so, go ahead and read all of the previous chapters.

I let 'Fox Tales' die once before. I will not let it die again.

Sincerely yours, the Author.

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As soon as that final word came out of his mouth, Todd was enveloped in light. Although he was unable to see what was going on, he could feel the changes that were happening to his body. He felt something wanting to come out of his lower back, and sure enough, poking through the top of his jeans was an orange fox tail. Then, he felt pain in his ears as they changed form. His ears were moving, and even though the bottoms stayed where they were, the tops stretched up the sides of the head. Then they re-formed to become bigger and triangular in shape, each covered with small orange fur except for a black top. (A/N: You know, like a fox's)

When these changes were done, the light went away, and Todd took only a split-second to evaluate them. It was all the time he could afford because another thud came as the monster drew even closer, now near the corner of the building. The noise Todd heard when it came to his ears was never louder than now, nor was it any clearer than now. He could hear subtleties in that thud he never could hear before. And although his nose didn't change shape, he could now smell the beast with more sensitivity than before. Todd turned the corner to face his opponent. It again tried with the right hand to smash Todd into the pavement, but he jumped backwards out of the way, several feet high into the air. _Oh, my God! This is amazing, _he thought. He was both surprised at what was going on and yet he felt comfortable, like he had done this before, which is why he easily landed on his feet.

Of course, he still had no idea how to defeat the beast, just how to get away from it. He then heard Satoru say, _Jump at him. _And Todd did so, almost instinctively. Todd somehow felt he knew exactly what he was doing, partly because he was letting Satoru, on some level, control his body. At the top of his leap, he was at the monster's eye level. Todd cocked back his right arm, and his fist glowed light blue. He then punched the monster between its eyes, at the top of the nose. This caused the monster to reel back a couple of steps as Todd came back to the ground. After the monster regained its balance, it opened its mouth and a yellow laser beam shot out at Todd. Adrenaline took over and Todd extended his arms and stuck out his hands. When the laser came to his hands, it was diffused by an invisible shield. Afterwards, Todd started to run toward the brick building on his right, then ran up and along the wall. When he got high enough, he pushed off, and kicked the monster in the side of the head with his glowing left foot. This time, the monster fell backwards, towards its right side. Despite how big it was, it managed to not hit any of the apartment complexes on the other side of the street.

As Todd landed back on the street, which was now broken into hundreds of pieces, he was breathing heavily. Even though the moves were simple and looked easy, his inexperience meant that they needed a lot of energy to execute, and were taking a great toll on his body. However, the job was not done. His enemy lay fifty feet in front of him, diagonally on its back. Todd extended his arms, put his wrists together, and closed his eyes to concentrate. He didn't know what he was doing, yet he knew how to do it. An orange ball of light was forming right in front his hands, about the size of a basketball. Todd suddenly opened his eyes and immediately, a beam shot out of the ball, which hit and enveloped the beast, even after the beam stopped. After a couple of seconds, the beast exploded into a million little pieces, without leaving a carcass or any carnage. Todd dropped his arms and started panting in relief, as his tail receded and his ears returned to normal. He then heard a person from the top of the building above him slowly clapping his hands. Todd then looked up at him in frustration.

"Well done, Mr. Reinhardt. Well done," Eric said. "You've passed my test."  
"Test? What test?" Todd yelled as he walked on to the sidewalk. Eric did not respond.  
"Who the hell are you? What do you want?"  
"I just wanted to see you in action, Mr. Reinhardt."  
"What are you talking about? How do you know me?"  
"You'll find out soon enough, Mr. Reinhardt, because we will meet again."  
Todd looked him with anger in his face.  
"And now, Mr. Reinhardt, time to return to normal."  
"Normal?" Todd whispered.

Eric snapped his fingers, and suddenly he was gone. Not only that, the street was repaired. People were walking and talking on the sidewalks. Cars were driving back and forth. And no one else seemed to notice that anything was different, like it was a normal night in downtown. Todd just stood in the middle of the sidewalk with his mouth opened, questioning everything he had just experienced. After being bumped in the right arm by a stranger, Todd snapped out his daze. He was too tired to walk all the way back home, so he stuck out his right thumb and yelled, "Taxi!" as one turned the corner. The cab stopped, and Todd opened the back door. He got in, closed the door, and told the driver to take him home.

After enjoying a well deserved, good night's sleep, Todd's father picked him up so he could go see Akane in the hospital. She was staying two states away, which gave the two of them a lot of time to catch up with each other. Todd and his father had a good relationship. In fact, he had a good relationship with both of his parents, even though they divorced several years ago. Neither of his parents had any hard feelings towards the other. Todd talked about how he was wrapping up school. His father debriefed Todd on Akane's status. Miraculously, everyone survived the accident, but Akane and another friend were in serious but stable condition. The worst injury anybody else got was a broken bone or two.  
"Well…I guess it maybe gives us something to hope for," Todd said.  
"I guess so too," Dad said. He glanced over at Todd and noticed something strange.

"Where did you get those cuts?" he asked.  
"What cuts?" Todd said, worried as he pulled down the car's vanity mirror. His nervous heart was about to explode.  
"There are a couple of tiny cuts on your cheeks. Did you get hit by something?"  
"No! I, uh…uh…cut myself shaving."  
"But you've got some stubble."  
"Yeah, uh…it was the other day."  
"Okay," Dad said.  
Todd breathed a huge sigh of relief, but not big enough to give his father any reason to think he was lying.

After a long 10-hour drive that included a nap and a couple of license plate games, Todd and his father finally arrived at the hospital. After they each got a visitor pass at the front desk, Dad led Todd to Akane's hospital room. Mom was there, sitting in a chair, waiting. She seemed to be at peace somehow, but she certainly wasn't her usual cheerful self. Sitting by your daughter for a few hours with no significant changes can mellow a person out. She turned her head to the left, to see who was coming. When she saw Todd, she quietly leaped out of her chair, and went over to hug him. Todd did not resist one bit. This moment in his life was bigger that his ego.

"I'm so glad to see you," she whispered.  
"Good to see you too," Todd said.  
Mom paused, then let go of Todd but still held on to him. She had a bit of a disgusted look on her face.  
"Todd, you smell terrible," she said quietly. Todd looked a little embarrassed. "As soon as we get back to your father's house, you are taking a shower." She then turned to look at her ex-husband. "How was the trip?" she asked as she went to hug him.  
"It was fine. No problems whatsoever."  
"Well, that's good to hear. The first piece of good news I've heard in a while," she said turning her head to Akane.

Akane just laid there, sound asleep as the machines that surrounded her bed kept her alive.  
"She's not in a coma, is she?" Todd said quietly.  
"Oh, no, no, no. She's just sleeping." Mom said. "Well, let's go to your father's house, clean up, and have some dinner. The hospital will call us if anything happens."  
"Okay then," Dad said.  
As they turned to leave the room, Todd looked at Akane's face. She looked fragile, but at the same time, she also looked like she was still fighting for her life. Mom called his attention from the elevator.  
"Hang in there, Akane," Todd whispered. Then he turned to follow his parents.

The drive back to Dad's house was quiet the entire way. When they pulled into the garage. Mom reminded Todd to take his shower. He then asked where it was, and was given directions. After entering the bathroom, he closed the door, took off his clothes, moved the shower curtain, and started the water, spending a quick moment trying to figure out how it worked. He thoroughly cleaned his body with shampoo and a bar of soap, all the while trying to contain his emotions. When he got out of the shower, he grabbed a towel from the rack on the opposite wall. He turned his head to take a look at himself in the mirror, and started to dry off his hair. But then he suddenly stopped because he noticed something different. He removed the towel, and took another look at himself. Whatever it was, it was on his back, so he needed some help. He opened a medicine cabinet door a bit, bouncing one mirror off another.

And there it was. On his lower back, just above his butt crack, there was a brown symbol. It was a fox tail, about the size of a quarter, and it almost looked like it had been tattooed on. _Oh my God! Where the hell did that come from?_ he thought with shock and bewilderment on his face.

* * *

Remember the three R's: Read, Review, and Recommend.  
'Fox Tales' is 110% original, so don't steal it, or I'll unleash my team of lawyers on you.  
(Lawyers behind me with evil grins)


	11. Coping

**Fox Tales**

Chapter 11  
"Coping"

Todd just stood in surprise and gulped as another layer had been added to this enigma. His heart was in his throat. He could not ignore the fact that something, which wasn't there yesterday, has now appeared on his now wet and naked body. He reached down to touch it, and sure enough, it was real; it didn't rub off. Todd then had flashbacks about what happened the night before, how he felt right after the transformation, what it was like to have a tail, even though he couldn't see it. _Wait a minute. Tail! _he thought. It all made perfect sense to him now. This is something that has been left behind from that night, and a reminder that everything that's happened to him since that night in Japan was really happening…to him.

Todd nearly leapt out his skin when he heard someone knocking on the door, dropping his towel in the process.  
"Honey? Are you alright in there?" his mother asked. "You've been in there for a while."  
"I fine, Mom," Todd said nervously.  
"Are you sure?"  
"Yes, I'm sure."  
"Okay, if you say so."  
Todd let out a huge sigh of relief as he picked his towel up off the floor, and dried himself off.

In the late part of the next morning, Todd and his parents went back to the hospital to see Akane. The good news was that they were not awoken last night by a call from the hospital. In fact, when the doctor gave his update, he said that Akane was doing so well, he might be able to raise her medical condition within the next few days. However, they still needed to keep a very close eye on her, so visitations may be limited further.  
"We're still waiting for some test results and x-rays to come back," he said. "We should have them here tomorrow. By then, we'll have a pretty good idea of what exactly we are dealing with."  
"Thank you, Dr. Williams," Mom said.  
"Sure thing," he said. "I'll be sure to inform you of anything that comes up."

As the three of them entered her hospital room, Akane rolled her eyes over to her left to see who was coming in. She would have turned her head, but she was wearing a neck brace. Mom's face lit up when she saw her daughter's eyes open and moving.  
"Hey, you're awake!" she said softly.  
"Yeah," Akane groaned with a smile. "But probably not for long."  
"Well, I'll take any moment with you I can get."  
Akane then moved her focus to Todd, and Todd knew she was surprised to see him. She didn't have any look of anger in her eyes, like she did in the past. Todd looked back at her with sympathetic eyes. He softly said to her, "Hi." She didn't respond, only blinked. Todd sensed that, on some level, she was happy to see him. It gave her comfort that he was there, at least a little bit. Todd then looked at his parents and said, "Do you two mind if I, uh, have a moment with her?" They looked at each other, and then Dad said, "No, we don't mind."  
"Thank you."

Todd's parents left the room and closed the door behind them. He then took the chair from against the wall, brought it closer to Akane's bed, and sat down in it. He leaned forward and said to her, "How are you feeling?"  
"I'm…better," she moaned. The machines and beeping monitors surrounding her made that statement seem ironic.  
"That's good." A moment passed before Akane broke the silence.  
"I gotta admit…that…I didn't expect to see you here."  
"Well, of course I'd be here," Todd said, almost laughing it off. "What made you think that I wouldn't come?"

"I don't know. I guess that…after what happened when we were kids, I got really pissed off at you, and…the memories…they were so painful that I just couldn't get over them." She was straining to speak, the fatigue very evident in her tone. Tears started to well up as she closed her eyes again for a moment, trying to manage her strength. "I let the grudge that I held blind logic. Ruby and I were very close. She was very, very important to me; she meant a lot." She then coughed, but immediately winced in pain, covering her ribs with her right hand. Todd quickly reacted and tried to calm her down. "Shh, shh, shh. Don't move," he whispered.

He then put her left hand in both of his, avoiding the pulse oximeter on her index finger. After settling down, Akane continued. "I guess that in my heart of hearts, I knew that I should have forgiven you already, but I let my anger get to me because…that's just how much she meant to me…and your actions took her away." She briefly paused to gather her thoughts. "I didn't know what else I could do. After all, I was more than entitled to be mad; I was justified in feeling that way." Those words sunk into Todd's mind, and were heavier than a boulder. "And every time I thought about you…the image of seeing the paramedics putting her on the stretcher, and pushing her into the ambulance always comes back. And I am reminded of why I hated you to begin with.

"I was so racked with resentment that it caused me to do things that I know better than to do. I started hanging out with the wrong crowd at school, and I succumbed to the peer pressure. It made me take up a secret life of partying and drinking and whatnot. I knew that it would only lead to trouble, but I thought I had found the place I was supposed to be in. It didn't offer any comfort, but at least there wasn't any pain either. And now…everything, all of it, has caught up with me. I've let everyone down." Akane could no longer contain herself. She started to cry, and adding insult to injury was the physical pain doing so brought. Todd couldn't help but pity her, and he held her hand a little bit tighter. He almost couldn't bear to see her like this.

"Well, as I see it," he said, "you have two choices. You can either continue to let tragedy define your existence and go down the same road that has led you to where you are…" he paused as Akane turned her eyes to look at him, "…or you can face your storm, and walk out on the other side with a fresh start. And getting all of this off your chest is a good first step." He caressed her wrist for a moment, and then looked directly at her.

"You are my sister. You are part of my family. And when one member of the family is in need, the others come to support. I love you, Akane, and I do not want to see you suffer. I want to see you recover from this, and once again become the smart and strong woman that I know. If and when you decide that you want that fresh start, I will be there with you at every step. And if you stumble anywhere along the way, I will be there to help you stand back up. That storm may look menacing, and it may make you want to stay at that place you found because you feel safe there. But once you make it to the other side, you will not have regretted the journey."

"You really are willing to forgive me?" Akane said with a gleam in her eye.  
"I've been willing for a long time. My arms have always been wide open," Todd replied. Akane smiled, even as she sniffled all the stuff in her nose. Todd also let a smirk come across his face. And neither wanted the moment to end.

Night had fallen, Todd was back at his father's house, and bedtime was approaching. He was staying in a small guest room that looked like it hadn't been redecorated in decades. Todd was pulling his pajamas out of his luggage, at the dresser when someone decided to have a conversation.  
-_So, that was a pretty stirring speech you gave to your sister_, Satoru said. This time, Todd could see him sitting on the end of the bed, translucent, and dressed the same way as he was in the dreams.  
"Yeah, I guess it was," Todd said aloud, but making sure no one could hear him. "And the best part of it…" he paused to look over his shoulder at Satoru, "…was that it was all from the heart." Todd continued to gather his clothes.  
-_I hope that this will be a liberating experience for her, that the demons surrounding her will be exorcised._  
"What do you mean?" Todd visibly looked confused as he turned his head again.  
-_While you were having your talk with Akane, I sensed that there were some dark spirits hanging over her. It was all the anger, disappointment, sadness, and general emotion that were part of the grudge she held. This is going to take some time, but knowing that your helping hand will be there should make things a lot easier._

Todd finished dressing into his sleep attire, closed up his bag, and turned to look at Satoru. "Well, I meant it when I said I wanted her to recover from this whole ordeal, stronger than before. We may have been essentially estranged for the last five years, but that doesn't mean I care for her any less."  
-_You have a good heart, Todd, _Satoru said. Todd nodded his head a bit.  
"Well, it's time for me to get some sleep."  
-_Indeed it is. Good night._  
"Good night."

Seeing Satoru fade away reminded Todd that he also had to face the storm that had recently come in his own life. It was ironic that although an ancient spirit was with him, he still didn't feel like he had a helping hand.

* * *

Remember the three R's: Read, Review, and Recommend  
'Fox Tales' is 110% original, so don't steal it, or I'll unleash my team of lawyers on you.  
(Lawyers behind me with evil grins)


	12. Hindsight

**Fox Tales**

Chapter 12  
"Hindsight"

Todd got up at 7:30 in the morning in order to get ready for the return trip to his own home. His father decided to cook a French toast breakfast for the three of them. The meal included scrambled eggs, sausage links, and bacon strips on the side. Todd looked at the array with a feeling of satisfaction, knowing he wouldn't leave with his stomach lacking anything. But at the same time, he also felt some hesitation. It had nothing to do with his father's cooking. He was a good cook. But as much as he wanted to eat a hearty meal, he also wanted to live past the age of twenty-five. So he decided to skip the bacon, and go light on the butter.

So then, Todd and his mom packed up their things and placed them in her car. The plan was that all three of them would see Akane one last time, say goodbye, and then they would go their separate ways. Todd's dad led the way to the hospital, with he and his mom not far behind. The twenty-minute ride had an air of anticipation and apprehension. Everyone would find out for certain the extent of Akane's injuries, and everyone also hoped that there wouldn't be anything beyond what they expected. When they entered the hospital and picked up their visitor passes, there was a sense of nervousness that everyone had, though some were able to hide their emotions better than others.

Mom opened Akane's door slowly and quietly, only to find her daughter sound asleep. She walked over, tapped her on the arm, and whispered her name. Akane slowly opened her eyes and groaned after being awoken from such a deep sleep. Her eyes adjusted and as soon as she recognized her mother, she smiled. And the smile was reciprocated.  
"Hi, Mom," Akane said.  
"Morning, sleepyhead. Todd and I just wanted to say goodbye before we head back home."  
Just then, they heard a knock on the open door. It was Dr. Williams, ready to give the news. "I'm glad you're up, Akane," he said. "And I'm glad that you are all here for this." Everyone got out of the way so he could see the patient, like Moses parting the Red Sea.

"Akane…you are one lucky girl," he said. "I know that we put on the neck brace as a precaution, but the x-rays didn't show any fractures. It is a miracle considering how hard of a hit you took." Everyone took a deep sigh of relief. "So, we'll have that brace taken off. It seems, though, that the worst of your injuries is a couple of cracked ribs. But that is something that can be taken care of at home. So I am going to make sure you get released by the end of the day." Another collective sigh of relief came, though smaller than the first.  
"I know it's uncomfortable, but it's important that you do not try to wrap your ribs with athletic tape. It may make your ribs feel better, but it also restricts the lung. We need you to take a deep breath or cough once every hour in order to avoid getting pneumonia. You are allowed to take some ibuprofen for the pain, get plenty of rest, put some ice on it, and it should heal up on its own."  
"Thank you, doctor," Akane said.  
"You're welcome. I'll see you again in about six weeks to check up on you. That's about when it should be good."

As Dr. Williams left the room, everyone looked at Akane as the moment had finally come. "Well, Todd and I are going back home. It was good to see you again, Akane, though I wish it were under better circumstances." She walked up to the edge of the bed, held Akane's hand for a moment, and then kissed her on the forehead. She then went to hug her ex-husband. Todd followed suit, also hugging his father. And as he walked away from him and turned to look at Akane, he smirked, raised his left hand, flicked his wrist at her, and said, "Take care." No more words needed to be said. She smiled as he exited the room and turned the corner.

The two of them arrived at home at around 9:00 PM, and they unpacked their things, Mom wasn't up to fixing dinner, especially after spending so much time behind the wheel. So they'd ordered a medium pepperoni pizza ––delivered, of course––and then went immediately to sleep. After all, it was mid-week. She had work and he had school the next morning.

When Todd arrived at school the next morning, a couple of his classmates asked where he was the last few days. He answered their questions, giving them only the information he felt was relevant to them. Gary and Naomi knew about the situation, however. So when they both asked how he was feeling after school, he was more open with them, and went into more detail.  
"I'm glad to hear that she's going to be okay," Naomi said.  
"Yeah, your family really dodged a bullet," Gary added.  
"I know," Todd said, nodding his head. They continued to converse as they walked to the public bus stop, which was Naomi's exit.  
"I'll see you two tomorrow," she said.  
"Okay then," Todd replied as he waved his hand. He and Gary continued down the sidewalk, not saying anything until he was sure Naomi could no longer hear them.

"You know, uh, there was something else about what happened that I should tell you," he said.  
"What's that?"  
"Well, I don't think you're going to believe this."  
"Believe what?"  
"I…I actually got to have a conversation with her."  
"You're right. I don't believe it."  
"It gets better…we've cleared up the air."  
"Oh, my God. That's fantastic."  
"I know. I guess that me being there in a time of need showed her that I didn't hold any animosity, and that allowed her to get over the anger."  
"Hey. Does the ground feel cold? Because I think hell just froze over."  
Todd couldn't help but chuckle.

Night has fallen, and Todd has gone to bed. But he is struggling to fall asleep, for inside his head, things are not at rest. Every time he tries to close his eyes, he has a flashback to that fateful night, when he was down on the asphalt, on his stomach, looking over his shoulder at what was certain to be his demise. He remembers the panic that ravaged his mind, the tremors that went through the ground…and most importantly…how helpless he felt. When his memory turns next to his transformation, it becomes difficult because it was all an adrenaline-filled blur. He never really felt like he was in full control, that he was just a passenger along for the ride. But at the same time, the feeling of fear became disbelief. As he is witnessing everything that happens, he becomes more confident, culminating in victory.

The part causing him the most anguish, however, was when he looked up at the top of that building and saw the man responsible for all of this. This was a man he had never seen before, yet the stranger seemed to know a lot about him. And then he said they would meet again. That was the crux of the anxiety: the meaning of those words, and the implications they would have on his life.

-_Having trouble sleeping, aren't you?_ Satoru said. Todd sat up in his bed and looked at him, at the foot of the bed.  
"Yeah, I am," he said. "I mean, what happened a few days ago was such a life-changing experience. I'm rattled. I mean…one day, I'm fighting _through_ my life. Next thing I know, I'm fighting for my life." He sighed and shook his head. "I don't get any of this. I'm getting dragged into a mess that I didn't create, and that I want no part in." Todd's tone became a little bit sharp, but he had to make sure that he didn't end up waking his mother.

"I still don't believe how I got out of that ordeal to begin with. I tell you that I trust you, and then I find myself twenty feet in the air, running up walls, firing light beams from my hands and whatnot. It would be easy to say it was all a dream, and I wish it were. But I know it really happened because I have a mark where the tail was as a reminder. The pair of ruined jeans is another one." Neither one of them said anything for a few seconds. "He said we'd meet again, which probably means that something similar to what happened is going to happen again. So does that mean that I'm supposed to become the 'good guy' that comes in and saves the day? I mean…" Todd kept shaking his head as he sighed and collected himself.

All the while Satoru does nothing. And that put Todd in a sour mood. "What's wrong with you?" he said. "You come out and appear, acting concerned, but then you don't even do anything to help out. You are unbelievable." Todd quickly and deliberately went back under the covers, and turned away, not in the mood to talk anymore.  
-_Are you sure that I haven't?_ Satoru replied wittily.  
Todd popped right back up to rebut. "What do you m-?" But there was nobody there. It was then that Todd realized he indeed he got the help he wanted. He didn't need answers right now. He only needed a sympathetic ear, so he could vent. There were still plenty of questions he wanted to ask, but they would have to wait for another day. And now, he could finally get some rest. As he slowly lay back down onto the bed, he whispered an impressed, "Oh, he's good."

* * *

Remember the three R's: Read, Review, and Recommend  
'Fox Tales' is 110% original, so don't steal it, or I'll unleash my team of lawyers on you.  
(Lawyers behind me with evil grins)


	13. Disclosure

**Fox Tales**

Chapter 13  
"Disclosure"

(A/N: In keeping with the title of this chapter, Fox Tales takes place in the fictional town of Sonoma Springs, WA)

Todd was sitting on the sofa in the den, watching television when he heard the creak of the mail slot in the front door. Mom was off doing a bunch of errands, so he got up, walked across the house, and picked the pile up off the floor. As he filed through the pieces, it seemed to be the usual kind of mail, with ads, coupons, the electric bill, etc. He sighed as he got towards the end…and then he looked at the last piece of mail. It was addressed to him, which was weird because Todd never, ever gave out his address. Only two other people outside of his family knew where he lived: Naomi and Gary. But they hardly ever visit his house, let alone write him letters. And he knew it wasn't written by either of them because it was someone else's handwriting on the envelope, written in permanent marker. Unfortunately, he wouldn't get to find out whose handwriting it was because there wasn't a return address.

Todd wasn't sure if he really wanted to open the letter. He held it up to the light on the ceiling, but he couldn't see anything. Nothing shone through the paper. He went upstairs to his room and closed the door. He took another look at the envelope, turned it to the back, and took a deep breath. His heart was pounding in fear for the unknown, and in anticipation for the worst. He inserted his right index finger under the flap in the back and tore through the top of the envelope. He pulled out the letter inside, unfolded the paper, and began to read:

"Mr. Reinhardt,

I know who you are. I know that you transformed. I know all about what happened that night. Something inside you has awakened, and I am here to help. I will answer your questions and surprise you along the way. But I'm only giving you one chance. To find me, you'll have to weave your way through the 'eyes' of Bremerton. You have until 6:00 tonight. I hope you get this in time, so that we can meet."

Todd knew better than to follow the advice and directions of a stranger, but this mystery person forced his hand. After all, someone found out about what happened, and he did want answers. So he decided he would oblige.

In order to find out what this person meant by the ''eyes' of Bremerton,' Todd went downstairs, got on the computer, and looked up Bremerton, WA. He then clicked on a satellite photo of the city, zoomed in, and looked around. At first, he couldn't find anything. But then, he saw something.  
"Wait a minute," he said. "Those look like eyes right there." There were five fountains in a park, lined up in a row. "But where are they?" he said. He looked at the photo and saw the park's label, Harborside Fountain Park. He quickly printed out directions to the park, and looked at the wall clock, which read 5:20 PM. "Shit! It takes 45 minutes to get to Bremerton. Hold it. What good is it if don't have a car to get there?"  
All of a sudden, he heard a door open.  
"I'm back," Mom said.  
"Oh thank God," Todd whispered. He folded up the directions and put them in his pocket. Then he ran upstairs to her and said while walking by, "I'm glad you're here. I've got to go run an errand."  
"Well, okay. But don't be gone too long."  
"I'll try not to be."

With such a time crunch, Todd had to speed a little bit as he drove, which he does normally anyway. But even then, it was still going to be close. When he got to Bremerton, he got lucky on a few lights, and managed to make his way to the park. Todd got out of the car and looked at his watch, which read 5:59 PM. "Shit!" he uttered. He ran along the paved path, weaving through the fountains like a slalom course. He got to the other end and looked around for any sign of whoever he was looking for. He looked down at his wristwatch again, and it read 6:01 PM. He thought he was late, and couldn't believe his luck.

"You must be Todd," someone said. He turned to where the voice was coming from and saw a girl about his age and height in a white sundress standing away from him, looking over her left shoulder.  
"Uh, yeah, that's me," he replied nervously.  
"I'm glad you came," she said as her head returned to looking toward the water. Todd took a couple of steps closer to her.  
"What did you bring me here for?" Todd asked.  
"To tell you your destiny," she replied.  
"Tell me my destiny? Look, I had a bad experience with a palm reading once."  
"No, Todd," she said, "we are not talking about pseudoscience."  
"Then what are we talking about?" He was quickly becoming irritated. She turned around and started walking toward him.

"We are talking about something that no half-assed street psychic with nothing but a cardboard box and an empty snow globe would ever see coming. We are talking about doing things that you once thought were physically impossible. We are talking about turning your imagination into reality. We are talking about something that will defy most anything you thought you knew." She paused to let it sink in. "And trust me, you know what we are talking about because…you have already had a taste of it."  
Todd didn't know what she meant until he flashed back to the night of the transformation, when he was running along a brick wall, jumping really high into the air, and firing light beams. But then he snapped out of the moment.

"But most importantly, Todd," she said, "we are talking about purpose."  
"What do you mean 'purpose'?"  
"Let me ask you something. Do you believe in fate?"  
Todd paused to think about that. "No, not really. I think that everything that happens to us is because of choices, either made by us or someone else."  
"Would Satoru say the same thing?"  
Todd was caught off guard. "How the hell do you know about him?"  
"Oh, I know more about this than you think I do."  
"Just who the hell are you?" he said a little louder.  
"I am Alexis, and I am an ally."  
Todd was skeptical, and it showed. Alexis pointed her hand to something behind Todd. "Come. Let's have a seat," she said. They walked together to a bench that faced the last fountain and sat down.

"How do you know about Satoru and I?" Todd asked."Because for generations," Alexis replied, "my family has seen hundreds of cases just like yours around the world, where ordinary people are infused with ancient spirits. And in many cases, they involve ancestor and descendant. Most experience the union for only a short period of time, some for less than a month. But others are together for years, even to this day. It all depends on why the souls are not at rest, and what it will take to put them at rest."

"How did you know I was infused? I was in Japan when it happened."  
"I was an eyewitness to your first encounter. I saw you transform, and destroy that monster."  
"But there was nobody there. The streets were empty."  
"I was in one of the apartment buildings, visiting a friend of mine. She saw me looking out the window…and that's when I realized an illusion had been used. I saw you fighting, all she saw was normal downtown traffic."  
_An illusion makes sense_, thought Todd. _I remember how at the end, I was suddenly surrounded by people.  
_"I thought it was odd that there was no one there," he said. "How come you could see that fight and she couldn't?"  
"Because I have the power to see through such illusions. It helps me to identify those who have infused. Thanks to my family's training, my skills are at such a level that almost nothing gets by me."

"You would think that a battle like that one would cause people to notice," Todd said.  
"Well, that's because they didn't know it was even going on. That's the way the illusion worked. You were in a separate reality from everyone else. Whoever your opponent was, he must be very skilled because it takes a lot of experience in magic and talent to pull off what he did."  
All this talk of illusions and magic was starting to make Todd's head spin. "I can't wrap my brain around any of this," he said.  
"I told you that this would defy most anything you thought you knew. And that's not even all of it."  
"What do you mean?"  
"If you can't comprehend what I've said so far, then your head is about to explode."

"While I saw you fight, I also saw your fox ears and tail. That led me to believe that you were together with a kitsune. Does that sound familiar?"  
"Yeah, I remember hearing a legend about one while in Japan. Why?"  
"I knew about Satoru's legend and had reason to believe he was still out there. I saw your new form, and put two and two together. To be honest, though, I asked you about him not knowing if my conclusion was true. I took a shot in the dark, and luckily, I was right on target."  
Todd just shook his head in disbelief.  
"Kitsunes, in legend," she continued, "are famous for both their shape-shifting and magical abilities, including illusions so intricate and elaborate that they were indistinguishable from reality. Here is the mind-boggling part. In the cases I've seen that are similar to yours, the person obtains those magic powers, or more accurately, rents them."  
"Whoa, wait a minute. If people are getting magic powers, then how come no one has heard about them?"  
"Because no one thought it was weird."  
"What?"  
"I'll show you."

Alexis stood up and told Todd to do the same. They stood across from each other, about five feet apart. "I want you to look right at me," she said. And Todd did. She then moved her eyebrows a little closer together, like she was concentrating. After a couple of seconds, she said, "There. I'm done."  
"What did you do, exactly?" Todd asked. "I mean…I don't feel any different."  
"Are you sure?"  
"Yeah, I'm sure."  
"Lift up your shirt."  
Todd grabbed the edge of his shirt, lifted it up and looked down.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" he screamed.

He discovered that his torso, from the breasts to the hips, was gone. Covering the lower part of his body was a layer of skin. Furthering the disconnect was the fact that even though the top half was freaking out, his legs were standing still. And he even saw his foot tapping the ground in boredom. He was now two distinct parts. Then the legs started to walk away from his top half, which was floating in place. Alexis caught the legs and returned them underneath the other part, holding them there. Todd continued to freak out, panting, whimpering in fear, and visibly traumatized.

"Here's what I mean, Todd. Look around you. Everyone within earshot reacted to your scream and turned their heads, but not a single person thought that anything was out of the ordinary." Todd looked at Alexis, still breathing heavily…somehow. "Remember those other cases I told you about? The magic they were using carried with it a spell of normalcy, meaning that no one within a certain distance thought twice about what they saw, as if it happens all the time." Todd looked and saw that she was right. Everybody was returning to whatever it was he or she was doing. "That's why you never hear about people suddenly becoming superheroes or anything," Alexis added.

She paused for a moment, looking at Todd trying to understand what just happened.  
"I'm going to restore you now," she said. "Stay very still."  
Todd looked at his missing middle. And saw it gradually return to him. After it was done, he grabbed it and held on to it like he had just found his missing child.  
"Get away from me!" Todd yelled.  
"Calm down, Todd. Have a seat."  
Todd shook his head. He wasn't going to listen to her any longer.  
"C'mon, Todd. Hold yourself together. Oh, sorry."  
"That is not funny!"  
Alexis sat back down and patted the seat next to her. "It's all going to be fine. I promise I won't do it again."  
Todd reluctantly sat back down.

A couple of moments went by before Todd finally had the courage to ask, "Did that really happen?" His voice was cracking in anxiety and worry.  
"Yes. It did."  
"But I thought we were talking about illusions."  
"What I did to you really did physically happen to you. It was real magic. What makes it an illusion, though, is that everyone else was under a different impression from what was reality."

She stopped for a moment to gather her next thought. "I said earlier that in cases like yours, people borrow magic powers from their partner of sorts. And just like the rest of them, the fusion of you and Satoru has created a symbiotic relationship, where he needs you to put his soul at peace, and you need his powers in order to do so. Now does that mean that you'll be able to do what I did? No, not immediately. It takes time and experience to perform such things. But I'm sure that you be able overcomes any fears you have."  
Todd just sat silently.

"I also said earlier that we were talking about purpose. You may not have wanted any of this to happen to you, and I'm sure Satoru didn't see this coming either. But the fact of the matter is that the two of you were purposely brought together. And because of that, you now have a purpose." Alexis got up and took a couple of steps away from Todd. She turned her head and looked at him trying to keep himself together emotionally.  
"Whatever your purpose is, it will not be easy to fulfill," she continued. "But I will be there to help you. We will meet again, Todd. Take care."

Alexis walked away while Todd still sat on that bench in fear, doubt, and disbelief. The whole ordeal lasted only about ten minutes. But it was ten minutes that shook him to the core.

* * *

Remember the three R's: Read, Review, and Recommend  
'Fox Tales' is 110% original, so don't steal it, or I'll unleash my team of lawyers on you.  
(Lawyers behind me with evil grins)


End file.
